Gambino crime family

"Gambino Family" redirects here. For the hip hop group, see Gambino Family (group).

Gambino crime family

Carlo Gambino, the boss of the family from 1957–1976
Founded by	Salvatore D'Aquila
Named after	Carlo Gambino
Founding location	New York City, New York
Years active	1910s–present
Territory	Various neighborhoods in New York City, New York. Territory in Long Island, New Jersey, South Florida, Ohio, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles (as well as Palermo, Sicily)
Ethnicity	Men of Italian descent, and other ethnicities as "associates"
Membership	150–200 made members approx, 1,500–2,000 associates approx
Leader(s)	Frank Cali
Criminal activities	Racketeering, extortion, fraud, illegal gambling, money laundering, prostitution, murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and fencing
Allies	Bonanno, Colombo, Lucchese, Genovese, Trafficante, DeCavalcante, Patriarca, Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Velentzas crime families, The Westies
Rivals	Various gangs over New York City, including their allies

The Gambino crime family (pronounced [ɡamˈbiːno]) is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). The group, which went through three bosses between 1910 and 1957, is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963, when the structure of organized crime first gained public attention. The group's operations extend from New York and the eastern seaboard to California. Its illicit activities include labor and construction racketeering, gambling, loansharking, extortion, money laundering, prostitution, fraud, hijacking, pier thefts, and fencing.

The family was one of the five families that were founded in New York after the Castellammarese War of 1931. For most of the next quarter-century, it was a minor player in organized crime. Its most prominent member during this time was its underboss Albert Anastasia, who rose to infamy as the operating head of the underworld's enforcement arm, Murder, Inc. He remained a power even after Murder, Inc. was smashed in the late 1940s, and took over his family in 1951—by all accounts, after murdering the family's founder Vincent Mangano.

The rise began in 1957 of what was the most powerful crime family in America for a time, when Anastasia was assassinated while sitting in a barber chair at the Park Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan. Experts believe that Anastasia's underboss Carlo Gambino helped orchestrate the hit to take over the family. Gambino partnered with Meyer Lansky to control gambling interests in Cuba. The family's fortunes grew through 1976, when Gambino appointed his brother-in-law Paul Castellano as boss upon his death. Castellano infuriated upstart capo John Gotti, who orchestrated Castellano's murder in 1985. Gotti's downfall came in 1992, when his underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano decided to cooperate with the FBI. Gravano's cooperation brought down Gotti, along with most of the top members of the Gambino family. The family is currently headed by Frank Cali.

History

Origins

D'Aquila gang

The origins of the Gambino crime family can be traced back to the D'Aquila gang of Manhattan. Salvatore "Toto" D'Aquila was an influential emigrant from Palermo, Sicily who joined the Morello gang of East Harlem. Founded in the 1890s, the Morellos were the first Italian criminal gang in New York. As other gangs formed in New York, they acknowledged Giuseppe Morello as their boss of bosses. In 1906, D'Aquila's name first appeared on police records for running a confidence scam.

In 1910, Giuseppe Morello and his second-in-command, Ignazio "Lupo the Wolf" Lupo, were sentenced to 30 years in prison for counterfeiting. With the Morello family weakened, D'Aquila used the opportunity to break away from them and form his own gang in East Harlem. D'Aquila quickly used his ties to other Mafia leaders in the United States to create a network of influence and connections and was soon a powerful force in New York.

New York gangs

By 1910, more Italian gangs had formed in New York City. In addition to the original Morello gang in East Harlem and D'Aquila's own, now growing gang, also in East Harlem (but expanding into Little Italy in Manhattan's Lower East Side), there were others organizations forming. In Brooklyn, Nicola "Cola" Schirò established a second gang of Sicilian mafiosi from Castellammare del Golfo, west of Palermo, in Sicily. A third Sicilian gang was formed by Alfred Mineo in Brooklyn. Another Morello captain, Gaetano Reina, had also broken away in the Bronx, ruling that area with impunity. In south Brooklyn, first Johnny Torrio, then Frankie Yale were leading a new and rising (mostly) Sicilian organization. Finally, there were two allied Neapolitan Camorra gangs, one on Coney Island and one on Navy Street in Brooklyn, that were run by Pellegrino Morano and Alessandro Vollero.

In 1916 the Camorra had assassinated Nicholas Morello, head of the Morello gang. In response, D'Aquila allied with the Morellos to fight the Camorra. In 1917, both Morano and Vollero were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. With their leadership gone, the two Camorra gangs disappeared and D'Aquila and the Schiro family in Brooklyn took over many of their rackets in Brooklyn. Soon after, D'Aquila absorbed the Mineo gang, making Mineo his first lieutenant. D'Aquila now controlled the largest and most influential Italian gang in New York City. It was about this time that Joe Masseria, another former Morello captain, began asserting his influence over the Lower East Side's Little Italy and began to come into conflict with D'Aquila's operations there, as Prohibition approached.

Prohibition

In 1920, the United States outlawed the production and sale of alcoholic beverages (Prohibition), creating the opportunity for an extremely lucrative illegal racket for the New York gangs.

By 1920, D'Aquila's only significant rival was Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. Masseria had taken over the Morello family interests, and by the mid-1920s, had begun to amass power and influence to rival that of D'Aquila. By the late 1920s, D'Aquila and Masseria were headed for a showdown.

On October 10, 1928, Masseria gunmen assassinated Salvatore D'Aquila outside his home. D'Aquila's second-in-command, Alfred Mineo, and his right-hand man, Steve Ferrigno, now commanded the largest and most influential Sicilian gang in New York City.

Castellammarese War

In 1930, the Castellammarese War started between Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano, the new leader of Cola Schirò's Castellammarese gang, for control of Italian-American organized crime in New York. Mineo was a casualty; he and Ferrigno were shot dead during an assassination attempt on Masseria on November 5, 1930. In April 1931, Masseria was murdered in a restaurant by several of his gang members who had defected to Maranzano. Maranzano declared himself the boss of all bosses and reorganized all the New York gangs into five crime families. Maranzano appointed Frank Scalise as head of the old D'Aquila/Mineo gang, now designated as one of New York's new five families.

In September 1931, Maranzano was himself assassinated in his office by a squad of contract killers. The main beneficiary (and organizer of both hits) was Charlie "Lucky" Luciano. Luciano kept Maranzano's five families and added a Commission to mediate disputes and prevent more gang warfare.

Also in 1931, Luciano replaced Scalise with Vincent Mangano as head of the D'Aquila/Mineo gang, now the Mangano crime family. Mangano also received a seat on the new Commission. The modern era of the Cosa Nostra had begun.

Mangano era

Vincent Mangano now took over the family, with his brother Philip as consigliere and Albert Anastasia as underboss. Vincent Mangano still believed in the Old World mob traditions of "honor", "tradition", "respect" and "dignity." However, he was somewhat more forward-looking than either Masseria and Maranzano. To compensate for loss of massive revenues with the end of Prohibition in 1933, Vincent Mangano moved his family into extortion, union racketeering, and illegal gambling operations including horse betting, running numbers and lotteries.

Vincent Mangano also established the City Democratic Club, ostensibly to promote American values. In reality, the Club was as a cover for Murder, Inc., the notorious band of mainly Jewish hitmen who performed contract murders for the Cosa Nostra nationwide. Anastasia was the operating head of Murder, Inc.; he was popularly known as the "Lord High Executioner".

Vincent Mangano also had close ties with Emil Camarda, a vice-president of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA). Through the ILA, Mangano and the family completely controlled the Manhattan and Brooklyn waterfronts. From 1932 onward, the president of ILA Local 1814 was Anthony "Tough Tony" Anastasio, Albert Anastasia's younger brother (Anthony kept the original spelling of their last name). Anastasio was one of the family's biggest earners, steering millions of dollars in kickbacks and payoffs into the family's coffers. Anastasio made no secret of his ties to the mob; he only had to say "my brother Albert" to get his point across. With the family's backing, the Brooklyn waterfront was Anastasio's bailiwick for 30 years.

Around this time, Carlo Gambino was promoted within the Mangano family, along with another future boss, Gambino's cousin Paul Castellano.

Anastasia and the Mangano brothers were usually in conflict, even though they worked together for 20 years. On numerous occasions, Anastasia and Vincent Mangano came close to physical conflict. Vincent Mangano felt uncomfortable with Anastasia's close ties to Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, Joseph Bonanno and other top mobsters outside his family. Mangano was also jealous of Anastasia's strong power base in Murder Inc. and the waterfront unions. In April 1951, Vincent Mangano disappeared without a trace, while his brother Philip was found dead. No one was ever charged in the Mangano brothers' deaths, and Vincent's body was never found. However, it is generally believed that Anastasia murdered both of them.

Anastasia regime

Called to face the Commission, Anastasia refused to accept guilt for the Mangano murders. However, Anastasia did claim that Vincent Mangano had been planning to kill him. Anastasia was already running the family in Vincent Mangano's "absence", and the Commission members were intimidated by Anastasia. With the support of Frank Costello, boss of the Luciano crime family, the Commission confirmed Anastasia's ascension as boss of what was now the Anastasia crime family. Carlo Gambino, a wily character with designs on the leadership himself, maneuvered himself into position as underboss.

The former boss of Murder, Inc., Anastasia was a vicious murderer who inspired fear throughout the New York families. With Costello as an ally, Anastasia came to control the Commission. Costello's bitter rival was Vito Genovese, a former underboss for Lucky Luciano. Since 1946, Genovese had been scheming to remove Costello from power, but was not powerful enough to face Anastasia.

Plot against Anastasia

Anastasia's own brutal actions soon created a favorable climate in New York for his removal. In 1952, Anastasia ordered the murder of a Brooklyn man Arnold Schuster who had aided in the capture of bank robber Willie Sutton. Anastasia did not like the fact that Schuster had helped the police. The New York families were outraged by this gratuitous killing that raised a large amount of public furor. Anastasia also alienated one of Luciano's powerful associates, Meyer Lansky, by opening casinos in Cuba to compete with Lansky's. Genovese and Lansky soon recruited Carlo Gambino to the conspiracy by offering him the chance to replace Anastasia and become boss himself.

In May 1957, Frank Costello escaped a Genovese-organized murder attempt with a minor injury and decided to resign as boss. However, Genovese and Gambino soon learned that Costello was conspiring with Anastasia to regain power. They decided to kill Anastasia.

On October 25, 1957, several masked gunmen murdered Anastasia while he was sitting in the barber shop at the Park Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan. As Anastasia sat in the barber's chair, the three assailants rushed in, shoved the barber out of the way, and started shooting. The wounded Anastasia allegedly lunged at his killers, but only hit their reflections in the wall mirror. Anastasia died at the scene. Many historians believe that Gambino ordered caporegime Joseph Biondo to kill Anastasia and Biondo gave the contract to a squad of Gambino drug dealers led by Stephen Armone and Steven Grammauta.

Gambino era

With Anastasia's death, Carlo Gambino became boss of what was now called the Gambino crime family. Joseph Biondo became underboss, supposedly as a reward for the Anastasia killing. However, Gambino was upset by Biondo's misbehavior and replaced him with Aniello Dellacroce in 1965.

By all accounts, Vito Genovese was angling to become boss of all bosses, and believed that Gambino would support him. Gambino, however, had his own mind. He secretly joined forces with Charles Luciano and Frank Costello to get Genovese out of the way as well. Gambino helped trick Genovese into a lucrative drug deal, then paid a small-time Puerto Rican dealer to testify against him. In April 1959, Genovese was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, where he died in 1969.

Gambino quickly built the family into the most powerful crime family in the United States. He was helped by Meyer Lansky's offshore gaming houses in Cuba and the Bahamas, a lucrative business for the Cosa Nostra.

Control of other crime families

In 1964, Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno, the head of the Bonanno crime family, and Joseph Magliocco, the new boss of the Profaci crime family, conspired to kill Gambino and his allies on the Commission. However, the man entrusted with the job, Joseph Colombo, instead revealed the plot to Gambino. The Commission, led by Gambino, forced Magliocco to resign and hand over his family to Colombo, while Bonanno fled New York. Gambino then became the most powerful leader of the "Five Families".

In 1971, Gambino allegedly used his power to orchestrate the shooting of Colombo. Gambino and his allies were unhappy about Colombo's high public profile. Jerome Johnson shot Colombo on June 28, 1971 at the second "Italian-American Unity Day" rally. Johnson was tentatively linked to the Gambino family, but no one else was charged in the shooting. Colombo survived the shooting, but remained paralyzed until his death in 1978.

Gambino's influence also stretched into behind-the-scenes control of the Lucchese crime family, led by Carmine "Mr. Gribbs" Tramunti.

In 1972, Gambino allegedly picked Frank "Funzi" Tieri to be front boss of the Genovese crime family. Gambino had allegedly ordered the murder of Tieri's predecessor Thomas Eboli after Eboli failed to repay a $3 million loan to Gambino. It is also believed that Eboli was killed by his own crime family for his erratic ways.

Under Gambino, the family gained particularly strong influence in the construction industry. It acquired behind-the-scenes control of Teamsters Local 282, which controlled access to most building materials in the New York area and could literally bring most construction jobs in New York City to a halt.

On October 15, 1976, Gambino died of a heart attack. Following Gambino's wishes, control of the family passed to Paul Castellano, whose sister was married to Gambino. Castellano kept longtime underboss Aniello Dellacroce in his position. Many Dellacroce allies were bitterly disappointed by Castellano's ascension, but Dellacroce insisted that they obey Gambino's instructions.

Castellano regime

Paul Castellano

When Castellano became boss, he negotiated a division of responsibilities between himself and Dellacroce. Castellano took control of the so-called "white collar crimes" that included stock embezzlement and other big money rackets. Dellacroce retained control of the traditional Cosa Nostra activities. To maintain control over the Dellacroce faction, Castellano relied on the crew run by Anthony "Nino" Gaggi and Roy DeMeo. The DeMeo crew allegedly committed from 74 to 200 murders during the late 1970s and mid-1980s.

During his regime, Castellano vastly expanded the family's influence in the construction industry. His new alliance with the Irish-American Westside Gang made millions of dollars for the family in construction rackets. For all intents and purposes, the Gambinos held veto power over all construction projects worth over $2 million in New York City. The DeMeo gang also ran a very lucrative car theft ring. Castellano relied on a four-man ruling panel to supervise family operations. This panel consisted of powerful Garment District leader Thomas Gambino, bodyguard and later underboss Thomas Bilotti, and powerful Queens faction-leaders Daniel Marino and James Failla.

Gambino family case

In response to the Gambino rise, federal prosecutors targeted the family leadership. On March 31, 1984 a federal grand jury indicted Castellano and 20 other Gambino members and associates with charges of drug trafficking, murder, theft, and prostitution. This group included John Gotti's brother Gene Gotti and his best friend Angelo Ruggiero. In early 1985, Castellano was indicted along with other Cosa Nostra leaders in the Mafia Commission case. Facing the possibility of time in prison, Castellano announced that Thomas Gambino would become acting boss in Castellano's absence, with Bilotti as acting underboss to replace the ailing Dellacroce.

The Gambino family was making more money, but the internal strife continued to grow. The Dellacroce faction considered Castellano a businessman, not a mob boss. They grew infuriated when Castellano increased their tribute requirements while building himself a grand mansion in Staten Island. Castellano became increasingly detached from family members, conducting all family business at his mansion. Castellano's announcement about Gambino and Bilotti further enraged the Dellacroce partisans.

Conflict with Gotti

Castellano's most vocal critic was John Gotti, a Queens-based capo and Dellacrocce protégé. Gotti was ambitious and wanted to be boss himself. He was also angry that Castellano allowed the DeMeo crew to deal in narcotics while forbidding him from doing it. Gotti and his men conducted their drug trade in secret. The 1983 Ruggiero indictment came from phone conversations that Federal agents had recorded on Gotti's phone. The taped conversations included Ruggiero discussing drug deals and expressing his contempt for Castellano. By law, the defendants were allowed transcripts of these wiretap conversations to aid their defense. Castellano immediately demanded copies for himself. Dellacroce kept the transcripts from Castellano – the drug dealing and disrespectful language on the transcripts would have given Castellano cause to kill both Ruggiero and John Gotti. In turn, Dellacrocce prevented Gotti from deposing Castellano, citing his promise to Carlo Gambino.

On December 2, 1985, Dellacroce died of cancer. With Dellacrocce gone, Ruggiero could no longer keep the incriminating transcripts away from Castellano. Gotti quickly realized that now was the best time to murder Castellano and seize power. He recruited three major earners from his generation into the plot along with Ruggiero: capo Frank DeCicco and soldiers Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano and Robert "DiB" DiBernardo. To win the support of family old-timers, he recruited longtime capo Joseph "Joe Piney" Armone into the conspiracy, who dated back in the family's history to the Mangano brothers.

On December 16, 1985, Bilotti and Castellano arrived at Sparks Steak House in Manhattan for a dinner meeting with capo Frank DeCicco. As the two men were exiting their car, four unidentified men shot them to death.

Gotti regime

John Gotti

In January 1986, John Gotti was acclaimed as the new boss of the family. Gotti appointed Frank DeCicco as underboss and promoted Angelo Ruggiero and Sammy Gravano to capo. Gotti was known as "The Dapper Don", renowned for his hand-tailored suits and silk ties. Unlike his colleagues, Gotti made little effort to hide his mob connections and was very willing to provide interesting sound bites to the media. His home in Howard Beach, Queens was frequently seen on television. He liked to hold meetings with family members while walking in public places so that law enforcement agents could not record the conversations. One of Gotti's neighbors in Howard Beach was Joseph Massino, underboss of the Bonanno crime family. Gotti and Massino had a longstanding friendship dating back to the 1970s, when they were known as two of the most proficient truck hijackers in New York.

Mob leaders from the other families were enraged at the Castellano murder and disapproved of Gotti's high-profile style. Gotti's strongest enemy was Genovese crime family boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante, a former Castellano ally. Gigante conspired with Lucchese boss Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo to have Gotti killed. Corallo gave the contract to two top members of his family, Vittorio "Vic" Amuso and Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso. On April 13, 1986, they killed DeCicco with a remote-controlled bomb while he was attending a meeting with other capos. The bomb had been meant for Gotti as well, but he skipped the meeting at the last minute. DeCicco was succeeded by Joseph "Joe Piney" Armone, but only a year later he was convicted on racketeering charges alongside longtime consigliere Joseph N. Gallo.

Gotti was tried three times by federal and state officials, but was acquitted each time, earning him the nickname "The Teflon Don." It turned out that the trials had been compromised by witness intimidation, juror misconduct, and jury tampering. Gotti's flamboyance, however, proved to be his undoing. The FBI had managed to bug an apartment above his headquarters in the Ravenite Social Club in Little Italy, where an elderly widow let mobsters hold top-level meetings. Gotti was heard planning criminal activities and complaining about his underlings. In particular, he complained about Gravano, portraying him as a "mad dog" killer. Gravano responded by turning state's evidence and testifying against Gotti and other members of the family. Gotti and consigliere Frank "Frankie Loc" LoCascio were convicted on all charges on April 2, 1992, largely on the strength of Gravano's testimony, and sentenced to life without parole.

The family since Gotti

Gotti continued to rule the family from prison, while day-to-day operation of the family shifted to capos John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico and Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo. The latter was due to take over as acting boss but was himself sentenced to eight years in prison on racketeering charges. Gotti's son John "Junior" Gotti took over as head of the family, but he pleaded guilty to racketeering in 1999 and was sentenced to 77 months in jail.

John Gotti, Sr. died in prison in 2002, and his brother Peter Gotti took over as boss, allegedly alongside D'Amico. The family's fortunes have dwindled to a remarkable extent, given their power a few decades ago when they were considered the most powerful criminal organization on earth. Peter Gotti was imprisoned as well in 2003, and the leadership allegedly went to administration members Nicholas Corozzo, Jackie D'Amico, and Joseph Corozzo.

Gotti's rivals regained control of the family, mostly because the rest of Gotti's loyalists were either jailed or under indictments. Michael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo, the former head of the family's white collar operations and one of the last Gotti supporters, turned state's evidence due to increased law enforcement and credible evidence to be presented in his racketeering trial. He chose to testify against mobsters from all of the Five Families. DiLeonardo testified against Peter Gotti and Anthony "Sonny" Ciccone, among others, from 2003 to 2005, and then disappeared into the Witness Protection Program.

Meanwhile, Sammy Gravano, Gotti's former underboss, left the program in 1995. In 2000, he was arrested and jailed for operating an ecstasy-ring that stretched from Arizona to New York City. He was brought down by informants amongst his associates—the same manner in which he himself brought down Gotti eight years earlier. Rather than face spending the rest of his life in prison, he pleaded guilty in 2001 and was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

In 2005, Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo and his longtime underling Leonard "Lenny" DiMaria were released from prison after serving ten years for racketeering and loansharking charges in New York and Florida. That same year, US law enforcement recognized Corozzo as the boss of the Gambino crime family, with his brother Joseph Corozzo as the family consigliere, Arnold "Zeke" Squitieri as the acting underboss, and Jackie D'Amico as a highly regarded member with the Corozzo brothers.

Jack Falcone

In 2002, FBI agent Joaquin García infiltrated the Gambino crime family under the alias of Jack Falcone. Gambino capo Greg DePalma was so impressed by Falcone that he offered to make him a family soldier. In 2005, the FBI terminated Garcia's assignment out of fear that the Gambinos might discover his true identity. However, evidence gathered by García allowed the government to convict DePalma and several other Gambino leaders on racketeering charges. DePalma was sentenced to twelve years in federal prison.

Operation Old Bridge

Main article: Operation Old Bridge

On Thursday, February 7, 2008, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York issued an indictment which led to the arrest of 54 Gambino family members and associates in New York City, its suburbs, New Jersey, and Long Island. This indictment was the culmination of a four-year FBI investigation known as Operation Old Bridge. It accused 62 people of murder, conspiracy, drug trafficking, robberies, extortion, and other crimes. By the end of the week, more than 80 people had been indicted, including Gambino leaders John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico, Joseph "Jo Jo" Corozzo, and Domenico "Italian Dom" Cefalù, as well as Gambino family caporegime Leonard "Lenny" DiMaria, Francesco "Frank" Cali, and Thomas "Tommy Sneakers" Cacciopoli. Co-acting boss Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo fled his home on Long Island to avoid arrest. Corozzo turned himself over to law enforcement officials on May 29, 2008, after almost four months as a fugitive.

The case was officially referred to as United States of America v. Agate et al. and was assigned to Judge Nicholas Garaufis. The FBI used informant Joseph Vollaro as a government witness; he was the owner of a trucking company on Staten Island. Vollaro had secretly recorded conversations between himself and members of the Gambino family over the previous three years.

Operation Old Bridge broke up a growing alliance between the Gambinos and the Sicilian Mafia, which wanted to get further into the drug trade. One of those arrested in the raids in the US was Frank Cali, a captain in the Gambino family. He is allegedly the "ambassador" in the US for the Inzerillo crime family.

Operation New Bridge

In 2014, FBI and Italian police arrested seven members of Gambino and Bonanno family together with 'ndrangheta's members of Ursino 'ndrina. The arrested have been accused by prosecutors and law enforcement officials of organizing a transatlantic drug ring with aim of shipping 500 kg of pure cocaine from Guyana in South America to the port of Gioia Tauro in Calabria. US Attorney Loretta Lynch singled out Gambino family associate Franco Lupoi as the linchpin of the operation, accusing him of conspiring with his father in law, reputed ndrangehta member Nicola Antonio Simonetta, to set up the network.

Current position and leadership

From 2005 to 2008, federal authorities successfully prosecuted the Gambino administration, several capos, and many soldiers and associates. Since both federal and New York State authorities rounded up the entire Gambino family hierarchy in early 2008, a three-man panel of street bosses Daniel "Danny" Marino, John Gambino and Bartolomeo Vernace was running the Gambino family while the administration members were in prison. Marino, Vernace, Gambino, Cefalù, D'Amico, Nicholas Corozzo, and Arnold Squitieri have all been listed as leaders in the family. In July 2011, it was reported that Domenico Cefalù has been promoted to official boss of the crime family, putting an end to the Gotti regime. The current family is believed to have between 150 and 200 members as well as over 1500 associates.

Today the Gambino family still controls the piers in Brooklyn and Staten Island through infiltrated labor unions. A pair of indictments in 2009 and 2010, respectively, show that the family is still very active in New York City. During 2009, the Gambino family saw many important members released from prison. In 2009, former National Basketball Association (NBA) referee Tim Donaghy accused Gambino associate James Battista of using Donaghy's knowledge of NBA games to pick winners in illegal sports gambling. On November 18, 2009, the NYPD arrested 22 members and associates of the Lucchese and Gambino crime families as part of "Operation Pure Luck". The raid was a result of cases involving loan sharking and sports gambling on Staten Island. There were also charges of bribing New York City court officers and Sanitation Department officials.

Historical leadership

Boss (official and acting)

• 1910–1928 — Salvatore "Toto" D'Aquila — took over the Brooklyn Camorra in 1916 and merged with Al Mineo's gang forming the largest family in New York. He was killed on orders of boss Joe Masseria in 1928.
• 1928–1930 — Alfred "Al Mineo" Manfredi — killed in Castellammarese War in 1930.
• 1930–1931 — Francesco "Frank" Scalice — demoted after murder of boss of all bosses Salvatore Maranzano.
• 1931–1951 — Vincent "The Executioner" Mangano — disappeared in April 1951, allegedly killed on orders of underboss Albert Anastasia.
• 1951–1957 — Albert "Mad Hatter" Anastasia — murdered in October 1957 on orders of underboss Carlo Gambino.
• 1957–1976 — Carlo "The Godfather" Gambino — died of natural causes 1976.
  • Acting 1974–1976 — Paul Castellano — acting boss during Gambino's illness, became official boss after his death.
• 1976–1985 — Paul "Big Paul" Castellano — murdered in December 1985 on orders of capo John Gotti.
• 1985–2002 — John "The Teflon Don" Gotti — imprisoned in 1990, died in 2002.
  • Acting 1992–1999 — John "Junior" Gotti — imprisoned in 1999, later retired.
  • Acting 1999–2002 — Peter Gotti — promoted to official boss.
• 2002–2011 — Peter "One Eye" Gotti — imprisoned in 2002, serving life sentence.
  • Acting 2002–2005 — Arnold "Zeke" Squitieri
  • Acting 2005–2008 — Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo — convicted in 2008, projected release date is in 2020.
• 2011–2015 — Domenico "Italian Dom" Cefalù
• 2015–present — Francesco "Frank" Cali

Street boss/Committee

From Gotti's imprisonment in 1990, several capo committees have periodically replaced the underboss and consigliere positions, allowing an imprisoned boss better control of the family. Street boss is a position created in 2005. It was the second most powerful position in the organization.

• 1991–1992 — Committee — John "Junior" Gotti, James "Jimmy Brown" Failla, Nicholas " Little Nick" Corozzo, John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico, Louis "Big Lou" Vallario, Peter "Petey Boy" Gotti
• 1992–1993 — Committee — John "Junior" Gotti, James Failla, Jackie D'Amico, Louis Vallario, Peter Gotti
• 1993–1994 — Committee — John "Junior" Gotti, Nicholas Corozzo, Jackie D'Amico, Louis Vallario, Peter Gotti
• 1994–1996 — Committee — Nicholas Corozzo, Jackie D'Amico, Louis Vallario, Peter Gotti
• 1996–1999 — Committee — Jackie D'Amico, Louis Vallario, Peter Gotti
• 1999–2005 — Committee — Daniel Marino (jailed), Bartolomeo "Bobby" Vernace (jailed), and John Gambino
• 2005–2011 — John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico

Underboss (official and acting)

• 1928–1930 — Stefano "Steve" Ferrigno — killed in 1930.
• 1930–1951 — Albert "Mad Hatter" Anastasia — became official boss in 1951.
• 1951–1957 — Francesco "Frank" Scalice — murdered in 1957.
• 1957–1965 — Joseph "Joe Banty" Biondo — removed by boss Carlo Gambino in 1965.
• 1965–1985 — Aniello "Neil" Dellacroce — died of natural causes in 1985.
  • Acting 1974–1975 — James "Jimmy Brown" Failla — replaced by Dellacroce after release from prison.
• 1985 — Thomas Bilotti — murdered in 1985 on orders of capo John Gotti after 11 days.
• 1985–1986 — Frank "Frankie Cheech" DeCicco — murdered in 1986 by Lucchese crime family hitmen.
• 1986–1990 — Joseph "Joe Piney" Armone — sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1987, became consigliere.
• 1990–1991 — Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano — turned government witness in 1991.
• 1991–1999 — John A. "Junior" Gotti — imprisoned in 1999, afterly retired.
• 1999–2012 — Arnold "Squiggy" Squitieri — arrested in 2005, released in 2012.
  • Acting 2002–2005 — Anthony "The Genius" Megale — arrested in 2005.
  • Acting 2005–2011 — Domenico "Italian Dom" Cefalù — became boss.
• 2012–2015 — Francesco "Frank" Cali
• 2015–present — Unknown

Consigliere

• 1928–1931 — Giuseppe Triana — demoted after murder of boss of all bosses Salvatore Maranzano.
• 1931–1951 — Philip "Phil" Mangano — murdered in 1951.
• 1951–1957 — Joseph "Joe Bandy" Biondo — became underboss.
• 1957–1967 — Joseph "Staten Island Joe" Riccobono — retired in 1967, deceased in 1975.
• 1967–1987 — Joseph "Joe" N. Gallo — retired in 1974, arrested in 1987, deceased in 1995.
• 1987–1989 — Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano — became underboss.
• 1989–1992 — Joseph "Joe Piney" Armone — former underboss, died in prison 1992.
• 1992–present — Joseph "Jo Jo" Corozzo — imprisoned since 2008, release date is January 5, 2016.

Administration

• Boss Domenico "Italian Dom" Cefalù – A Sicilian-born mobster who started out as a heroin trafficker in the family's Sicilian Zip faction. He was inducted into the organization in 1990 by John Gotti and joined the Pasquale Conte crew, a group that included relatives of Cefalù and held strong ties to Sicily. After being identified as acting underboss in the mid-2000s, Cefalù was eventually confirmed as the new boss of the family in 2011.
• Underboss Francesco "Frank" Cali – Like Cefalù, Cali has strong ties to Sicily, in particular those close to his relative, John Gambino. Though he maintains association with the Sicilian faction, Cali was born and raised in New York City and eventually rose in stature within the regime of Jackie D'Amico. Cali was later identified as acting captain of this crew, though in 2012 he has been identified as Cefalù's new underboss.
• Consigliere Joseph "Jo Jo" Corozzo – A former capo, Joseph and his brother Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo control the Queens-based Corozzo faction. In 1992, Joseph became consigliere after Gotti's imprisonment. On February 8, 2008, Joseph and Nicholas were indicted during Operation Old Bridge. In June 2008, Joseph pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge concerning the extortion of a Staten Island concrete firm and was sentenced to 46 months in prison. In 2011, Corozzo was indicted on new federal racketeering charges. His projected release date is January 5, 2016.

Current family capos

During the 1980s and 90s, the Gambino crime family under boss John Gotti, Sr. had 24 active crews operating in New York City, New Jersey, South Florida, and Connecticut. After 2000, the Gambino family had approximately 20 crews. However, according to a 2004 New Jersey Organized Crime Report, the Gambino family had only ten active crews.

New York

Brooklyn/Staten Island faction

• Anthony "Sonny" Ciccone – Capo of the Gambino crew on the Brooklyn waterfront. Ciccone was convicted on extortion charges in 2003. He was released from prison on April 24, 2013.
• Joseph "Sonny" Juliano – Capo of a Brooklyn crew that operates illegal gambling, loansharking, fraud and wire fraud activities. Juliano previously managed a multimillion-dollar illegal gambling ring in 30 New York City locations.
• Francesco "Frank" Cali – Capo who operates in Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey. According to the FBI, Cali is the official Gambino "ambassador to the Sicilian Mafia" and a rising star in the crime family. Cali and Leonard DiMaria extorted money from businessman Joseph Vollaro's trucking company on Staten Island. A major suspect in the drug trafficking between the Sicilian Mafia and the Gambinos, Cali pleaded guilty to racketeering charges and was sent to prison. He was released on May 30, 2009.
• Pasquale Conte – Capo in the Sicilian faction which operates in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
• Carmine Sciandra – Capo of a crew in Staten Island who also co-owns three "Top Tomato" vegetable and fruit markets. In December 2005, Sciandra was shot and wounded by a retired policeman while working at his Staten Island market. On March 25, 2010, Sciandra plead guilty to state charges of enterprise corruption and grand larceny for running a massive sports betting and loan shark operation and was sentenced to serve between 1½ to 4½ years in prison. He was released on January 5, 2012.
• Louis "Big Lou" Vallario – Capo of a crew in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn since the 1980s. From 1996 to 2002, Vallario served as acting boss in the family's Ruling Committee/Panel. One of the last aides to John Gotti. He was released on October 15, 2013.

Queens faction

• Thomas "Tommy Sneakers" Cacciopoli – Capo of a crew in Queens, New Jersey, and Westchester. He was released from prison on April 4, 2011.

Manhattan faction

• Salvatore "Mr. Sal" Franco – Capo of a Manhattan crew.
• Joseph "Joe the Blond" Giordano – Capo of a Manhattan and Long Island crew.
• Joseph "Joe" Lombardi – Capo of a Manhattan and Staten Island crew.
• Vincent "Vinny Butch" Corrao – Capo of a Little Italy, Manhattan crew. Vincent's grandfather, "Vinny the Shrimp", operated the same crew and passed it to his son Joseph Corrao. Joseph later passed the crew to his son Vincent.

Bronx faction

• Salvatore "Tore" LoCascio – Capo of a Bronx crew and son of Frank "Frankie Loc" LoCascio. Along with Richard Martino, Salvatore introduced the Gambinos to online pornography operations that earned the family up to $350 million per year. In 2003, Salvatore was convicted and sent to prison. He was released from prison on August 1, 2008.
• Louis "Louie Bracciole" Ricco – Capo of a crew in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. The crew has illegal gambling, loansharking and racketeering activities in the Bronx.

Sicilian faction

The Sicilian faction of the Gambino crime family is known as the Cherry Hill Gambinos. Gambino boss Carlo Gambino created an alliance between the Gambino family and three Sicilian clans: the Inzerillo's, the Spatola's and the Di Maggio's. Carlo Gambino's relatives controlled the Inzerillo clan under Salvatore Inzerillo in Passo di Ragano, a neighborhood in Palermo, Sicily. Salvatore Inzerillo coordinated the major heroin trafficking from Sicily to the US, bringing his cousins John, Giuseppe and Rosario Gambino to the US to supervise the operation. The Gambino brothers ran a Cafe on 18th Avenue in Bensonhurst and took their name Cherry Hill Gambinos from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The Gambino family in America began increasing in size with more Sicilian members.

• Giovanni "John" Gambino – Capo in the Gambino Sicilian or Zip faction. Gambino is an Italian national who belongs to the Inzerillo-Gambino-DiMaggio-Spatola clan of Sicily as well as the Gambino family. Reputedly a prominent drug trafficker, Gambino allegedly participates in the three-man ruling panel/committee that runs the crime family.

New Jersey

In Northern New Jersey, the Gambino family operates crews in Bergen, Passaic, and Essex Counties. In Southern New Jersey, the family operates crews in South Trenton, and Atlantic City. The two Gambino crews operating in New Jersey are the Mitarotonda crew and the Sisca crew. Other capos operating in New Jersey include Jackie D'Amico, Louis Ricco, Frank Cali, and Thomas Cacciopoli.

• Alphonse "Funzi" Sisca – Capo of a crew in New Jersey. He was a John Gotti ally and a former drug dealing partner of Angelo Ruggiero and Arnold Squitieri. Prior to being convicted in 2006, Sisca had spent 20 of the past 30 years in prison. He was released from prison on September 27, 2010.
• Nicholas Mitarotonda – Capo of a crew in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Mitarotonda was released from federal prison on March 1, 2011.

Florida

The Gambino family's Florida faction operates in Tampa and the South Florida counties of Broward, Palm Beach and Dade.

• Freddy Massaro – Capo of a South Florida crew. Massaro also owns Beachside Mario's, a restaurant in Sunny Isles Beach.
• Leonard "Lenny" DiMaria – Capo of a South Florida crew.

Atlanta, Georgia

• Steven Kaplan – A family associate was the manager of the Gold Club a strip club in Atlanta, he employed women to provide sexual services in his club.

Soldiers

• Blaise Corozzo – Soldier and another of the Corozzo brothers. He is serving a one to three-year sentence in state prison for a 2008 illegal gambling operation. His son Nicholas Corozzo, also involved with the Gambino family, was arrested in 2004. In 2009, Blaise Corozzo was released from prison.
• Andrew "Andy Campo" Campos – Soldier and former acting capo of the Bronx-based LoCascio crew. Campos supervised Tore LoCascio's crew while he was in prison.
• Michael Murdocco – Soldier in Carmine Sciandra's crew. Murdocco and his son-in-law Sanitation Deputy Chief Frederick Grimaldi, rigged bids to help a New Jersey firm win a sanitation contract. In exchange for kickbacks, Grimaldi allegedly leaked bid information to Murdocco in May 2009. Currently serving two to six years in state prison after pleading guilty in March 2010 to enterprise corruption, grand larceny and receiving bribes. Murdocco was paroled on July 7, 2012.
• Rosario Spatola – Member of the Cherry Hill Gambinos. His cousin is John Gambino and his brother-in-law was Salvatore Inzerillo.

Imprisoned members

• Andrew Merola – Former acting capo of the Mitarotonda crew. Merola is connected to Lucchese crime family Jersey faction leader Martin Taccetta. Merola's crew operates illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion and labor racketeering. Pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. His projected release date is June 5, 2020.
• Daniel "Danny" Marino – Capo of a Queens crew involved in labor and construction racketeering. A rival of John Gotti, Marino was involved in the 1986 murder conspiracy that accidentally killed Frank DeCicco instead of Gotti.
• Bartolomeo "Bobby" Vernace – Former capo of a Queens crew. Vernace allegedly operates out of his Vita Cafe in Flushing, Queens, running illegal gambling activities. Vernace was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 for murder.
• Vincent "Little Vinny" Artuso – Capo of a crew in Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach County, Boca Raton and Palm Beach Island. Artuso lives in South Palm Beach, Florida. On January 22, 2008 in Fort Lauderdale, Artuso was charged with racketeering. In September 2008, Artuso was charged with racketeering, mail and wire fraud, and money laundering. Artuso is currently imprisoned at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Florida; his projected release date is August 28, 2016. His son, John Vincent Artuso, is also imprisoned at Coleman; his release date is July 29, 2016.
• Augustus Sclafani – Former acting capo of the Corrao crew. Sclafani was the overseer of the crew while Corrao was imprisoned, but Sclafani came under indictment in 2008 Operation Old Bridge.
• Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo – Brother of consigliere Joseph Corozzo, uncle of Joseph, Jr. and currently the most influential caporegime in the crime family. Became a fugitive for almost four months, currently incarcerated on a 13-year sentence. His projected release date is March 2, 2020.
• Dominick "Skinny Dom" Pizzonia – Capo of a crew in Queens. An enforcer and hitman with John Gotti, Pizzonia is currently serving a 15-year-sentence for gambling and loansharking conspiracy. His projected release date is on February 28, 2020.

Crews

• Ciccone Crew
• Franco Crew
• Cherry Hill Gambinos (headed by John Gambino)
• Howard Beach Crew
• Sisca Crew
• The Ozone Park Boys
• Waterfront Crew

Defunct

• Baltimore Crew

Alliances with other criminal groups

The Gambino-Lucchese-Genovese

(1953–1985) between Carlo Gambino, Tommy Lucchese, and Vito Genovese began with a plot to take over the Mafia Commission by murdering family bosses Frank Costello and Albert Anastasia. At that time, Gambino was Anastasia's new underboss and Vito Genovese was the underboss for Costello. Their first target was Costello on May 2, 1957. Costello survived the assassination attempt, but immediately decided to retire as boss in favor of Genovese. Their second target was Anastasia on October 25, 1957. The Gallo brothers (from the Colombo family) murdered Anastasia in a Manhattan barber shop, opening the war for Gambino to become the new boss of the now-Gambino crime family. After assuming power, Gambino started conspiring with Lucchese to remove their former ally Genovese. In 1959, with the assistance of Lucky Luciano, Costello, and Meyer Lansky, Genovese was arrested and Gambino assumed full control with Lucchese of the Mafia Commission. Under Gambino and Lucchese, the Commission pushed Bonanno boss Joseph Bonanno out of power, triggering an internal war in that family. In the 1960s, the Commission backed the Gallo brothers in their rebellion against Profaci family boss Joe Profaci. In 1962, Gambino's oldest son Thomas married Lucchese's daughter, strengthening the Gambino and Lucchese family alliance. Lucchese gave Gambino access into the New York airports rackets he controlled, and Gambino allowed Lucchese into some of their rackets. After Lucchese death in July 1967, Gambino used his power over the Commission to appoint Carmine Tramunti as the new Lucchese family leader. Gambino later continued the alliance with Tramunti's successor, Anthony Corallo. After Gambino's death, new Gambino boss Paul Castellano continued the Lucchese alliance. In 1985, the original Gambino-Lucchese alliance dissolved when John Gotti ordered Castellano's assassination and took power in the Gambino family without Commission approval.

The Gambino-Lucchese

(1999–present) was initiated by acting Lucchese boss Steven Crea in 1999. The two families extorted the construction industry and made millions of dollars in bid-rigging. In early 2002, Lucchese capo John Capra worked with Gambino acting boss Arnold Squitieri, acting underboss Anthony Megale, and Bronx-based acting capo Gregory DePalma. The group was involved in illegal gambling and extortion activities in Westchester County, New York. The members were arrested in 2005 leaving to reveal that Gambino acting capo DePalma had allowed an FBI agent Joaquín García (known as Jack Falcone) work undercover with his crew since 2002. In late 2008, Gambino family acting capo Andrew Merola teamed with Lucchese Jersey faction acting boss Martin Taccetta in an illegal gambling ring, shaking down unions, and extorting car dealerships. Merola was indicted in 2008 and Taccetta was returned to prison in 2009.

The Gambino-Genovese

(1962–1972) was between Carlo Gambino and Genovese family acting boss/front boss Thomas Eboli. The alliance was short-lived because Eboli was unable or unwilling to repay Gambino money from a bad narcotics deal. The alliance ended when Gambino ordered Eboli's murder on July 16, 1972.

The Gambino-Bonanno

(1991–2004) started with John Gotti and new Bonanno boss Joseph Massino. As a member of the Mafia Commission, Gotti helped Massino regain the Bonanno commission seat that was lost in the early 1970s. The Gambino family influenced the Bonanno family to give up narcotics trafficking and return to more traditional Cosa Nostra crimes (loan sharking, gambling, stock fraud, etc.) By the late 1990s, the Bonannos had become almost as strong as the Gambinos.

The Gambino-Westies

(1970s–present) this alliance resulted from an ongoing war between the Genovese family and the Westies, an Irish-American street gang in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan. Genovese front boss Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno wanted to seized control of lucrative construction rackets at the new Jacob Javits Convention Center from the Westies. When the Westies balked, Salerno ordered the murder of the top gang leaders. Eventually, the Genovese family invited the Gambinos to broker a peace agreement with the Westside Gang. As part of this agreement, the Westies formed an alliance with Gambino capo Roy DeMeo.

Government informants and witnesses

• Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, Underboss
• Michael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo, Caporegime
• Dominic "Fat Dom" Borghese, Soldier
• Frank "Frankie Fap" Fappiano, Soldier
• Willie Boy Johnson, Associate
• Dominick "Big Dom" LoFaro, Associate
• Frank "Red" Scollo, Gambino-associated union official
• Andrew DiDonato, Associate
• Robert Mormando, Soldier (later stated in court that he is gay)
• Lewis Kasman, Associate, and self-described "adopted son" of John Gotti who first became an informant in 1996. Was dropped from testifying against John Gotti, Jr. for unreliability, but nevertheless received only probation for his offenses at sentencing.

Gambino family mobsters

• Anthony "Tough Tony" Anastasio (Major racketeer in New York)
• Carmine Agnello
• Bartholomew "Bobby" Boriello
• Charles "Buddy Musk" Muccigrasso
• Louis Capone (Worked under Albert Anastasia in the Murder, Inc. organisation)
• Roy DeMeo (Ran the DeMeo crew)
• Todd LaBarca
• John Tizio
• Robert "Bobby Cabert" Bisaccia
• William "Billy Batts" Devino
• Thomas "Spade" Muschio
• Carmine "Charley Wagons" Fatico
• Andrew Merola
• Carmine "Doctor" Lombardozzi
• Ralph "Ralphie Bones" Mosca
• James "Jimmy Higgins" Palmieri
• Frank Piccolo
• Angelo "Quack Quack" Ruggiero
• Vincent "Juicy" DiModica
• Anthony Scotto

Trials involving Gambino family

• Mafia Commission Trial
• Pizza Connection Trial

In popular culture

• Witness to the Mob – A made-for-television movie about the life of Gambino underboss turned FBI informant Sammy Gravano.
• In the 2001 TV movie, Boss of Bosses, actor Chazz Palminteri portrays Gambino boss Paul Castellano.
• In the 1996 TV movie Gotti, actor Armand Assante portrays Gambino boss John Gotti.
• In the movie Goodfellas, Gambino family made member William "Billy Batts" DeVino (played by Frank Vincent) is killed in a fight with Thomas DeSimone (portrayed as "Tommy DeVito" by Joe Pesci) a Lucchese crime family associate.
• In the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV, in which the setting is based on New York and New Jersey, the Gambetti family is a reference to the Gambinos. Also during the mission "Waste not Want Knots" en route to a Mafia controlled waste management plant Michael Keane (a character) mentions the Gambinos while reciting numerous fictional and real Mafia families.
• Law & Order commonly references the Gambinos as a literary flourish but does not involve actual persons except to allude to them by the court cases that were inspired by actual events, commonly 'Ripped from the headlines'. The character of Frank Masucci and the Masucci crime family were based on John Gotti and the Gambino crime family.
• In Frasier season 4 episode 23, Frasier tells Daphne and Martin "It's like Christmas morning in the Gambino's household", at the end of their argument regarding their exchange of gifts.
• In Gilmore Girls season 5 episode 19, Lorelai asks Rory, "Who are they, the Gambino's?"

See also

• Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 978-0-02-864225-3
• Jacobs, James B., Christopher Panarella and Jay Worthington. Busting the Mob: The United States Vs. Cosa Nostra. New York: NYU Press, 1994. ISBN 978-0-8147-4230-3
• Maas, Peter. Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997. ISBN 978-0-06-093096-7

External links

• Seize The Night: Gambino Crime Family
• Gambino Mafia Leadership 2009
• Gambino Mafia News