Carlo Gambino

Italian-American crime boss Carlo Gambino headed the Gambino crime family. After the Apalachin Meeting in 1957 and Vito Genovese's arrest in 1959, Gambino seized control of the American Mafia Commission until his death on October 15, 1976, after a heart attack. He spent more than 50 years in organized crime, although just 22 months of that time were spent behind bars for a 1937 tax evasion charge.

childhood and family

On August 24, 1902, Gambino was born in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, into a family that belonged to the Passo di Rigano Sicilian Mafia group. He had two brothers: Paolo Gambino, a member of the Gambino criminal family, and Gaspare Gambino, who was not a member of the Mafia. Felice Castellano and Tommaso Gambino, two immigrants from Italy, were his parents.

On December 23, 1921, Gambino arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, aboard the SS Vincenzo Florio as a stowaway. He later joined his Castellano relatives in New York City. He had previously worked for a modest trucking company run by his uncle's clan.

Later, Gambino relocated to a modest home at 2230 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn; his summer residence was at 34 Club Drive on Massapequa, Long Island. The two-story brick home, which had marble sculptures on the front lawn and was enclosed by a low fence and overlooked South Oyster Bay in Harbor Green Estates, was located at the end of a cul-de-sac. Gambino wed Catherine Castellano, the sister of Paul Castellano, in 1932. Catherine was one of his relatives. They raised Phyllis Gambino Sinatra as well as three boys, Thomas, Joseph, and Carlo.

The Commission and the Castellammarese War

Gambino was a member of the criminal enterprise run by Joe Masseria. Gambino was detained as a suspicious person in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1930. Although the accusation was dropped, he was arrested in Brockton, Massachusetts, a month later on suspicion of stealing. He skipped court, thus a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was apprehended in Manhattan four years later as a wanted person and brought back to Brockton, where the larceny charge was dropped in exchange for $1,000 in reparations.

In the early 1930s, boss Salvatore Maranzano, who had relocated to Sicily to lead the Castellammarese clan, was Masseria's main adversary. Eventually, their enmity erupted into the brutal Castellammarese War. The so-called "Mustache Petes," older, traditional Mafia leaders who began their criminal lives in Italy, were Masseria and Maranzano. The alleged "Old World Mafia" virtues of "honor", "tradition", "respect", and "dignity" were upheld by them. These employers were wary of hiring non-Sicilians and refused to work with non-Italians. Only males who had family ties to their own Sicilian hamlet worked for some of the more traditional bosses.

Masseria had been having trouble in the war, and Lucky Luciano saw a chance to change sides. In a covert agreement with Maranzano, Luciano consented to plan Masseria's demise in exchange for the rackets Masseria left behind and the opportunity to serve as Maranzano's second-in-command. Masseria was slain on April 15, 1931, at Nuova Villa Tammaro, a Coney Island eatery in Brooklyn. The Castellammarese War came to an end when Luciano assumed control of Masseria's gang and was appointed Maranzano's lieutenant with Maranzano's approval.

After Masseria left, Maranzano put the Italian American gangs in New York City back together under the leadership of the Five Families, which included Luciano, Profaci, Gagliano, Vincent Mangano, and himself. In Wappingers Falls, New York, Maranzano convened a gathering of crime lords, when he proclaimed himself capo di tutti capi. Maranzano reduced the rackets of the other families in favor of his own. Although Luciano seemed to agree with these modifications, he was only buying time before deposing Maranzano. Luciano had grown to believe that Maranzano was even more greedy and hidebound than Masseria had been, despite the fact that he was a little more progressive than Masseria.

By September 1931, Maranzano had come to recognize that Luciano posed a threat, so he recruited Irish mobster Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll to assassinate him. But Lucchese warned Luciano that his death was imminent. On September 10, Maranzano gave the order for Costello, Genovese, and Luciano to report to his Manhattan office at 230 Park Avenue, where he later died.

Later in 1931, Luciano held a meeting in Chicago with several bosses and suggested creating a Commission to act as the industry's regulatory authority. The Commission has been described as Luciano's greatest invention because it was created to resolve all conflicts and determine which family governed certain regions. The bosses supported the Commission's concept, and Luciano used it to covertly keep his control over all the families and stop further gang warfare.

Mangano household

Gambino and his cousins joined Vincent Mangano's family as soldiers after Masseria's passing. Albert Anastasia was the Mangano family's underboss, despite the fact that he was a powerful mob figure in his own right. Mangano had hated Anastasia's tight relationships with Luciano and Costello during his 20-year rule, especially the fact that they had hired her services without Mangano's consent. The two mobsters got into heated, almost physical clashes over this and other business disagreements.

For tax evasion relating to running a million-gallon distillery in Philadelphia, Gambino was apprehended in 1937 and sentenced to 22 months in jail at Lewisburg.

On April 19, 1951, Philip Mangano's body was discovered in Brooklyn, close to Sheepshead Bay. On Anastasia's instruction, he and his brother were killed in Brooklyn in 1951. The Surrogate's Court in Brooklyn ruled Vincent Mangano deceased on October 30, 1961, but his body was never discovered. Although no one was ever detained in connection with the Mangano killings, many believed Anastasia was behind their murders.

murder of Anastasia

Genovese decided to take action against Frank Costello in the middle of the 1950s. Albert Anastasia, the head of the Anastasia criminal family, was Costello's staunch ally on the Commission, so Genovese also had to get rid of him. Anastasia's underboss Gambino and Genovese immediately began planning to have Anastasia fired.

Genovese decided to move on Costello in the early part of 1957. Genovese gave Vincent Gigante the order to assassinate Costello, the head of the Genovese family, and on May 2, 1957, Gigante shot and injured Costello in front of his apartment building. Even though the injury was minor, Costello was persuaded to hand over control to Genovese and step down as a result. Gigante was identified as the shooter by a doorman, but in 1958, Costello testified that he was unable to identify his attacker. Gigante was cleared of attempted murder charges.

Genovese and Gambino allegedly gave the order to kill Anastasia after Costello left. The contract was given by Gambino to Joe Profaci, who is said to have given it to the Joseph "Crazy Joe" Gallo-led Gallo squad. Anastasia was assassinated on October 25, 1957, in the barbershop of the Park Sheraton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The Mangano crime family was dubbed the Gambino crime family once Gambino assumed control as its new leader.

Joseph Biondo was chosen by Gambino to be the underboss; but, by 1965, Aniello Dellacroce had taken his place.

Fall of Apalachin and Genovese

Genovese sought to conduct a nationwide Cosa Nostra conference in November 1957, immediately following the death of Anastasia and taking over the Luciano crime family from Costello. Genovese appointed Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino, a crime lord from Buffalo, New York, and a member of the Commission, who in turn selected Joseph Barbara and Russell Bufalino, a crime lord from northeastern Pennsylvania, to oversee all the preparations for the Apalachin meeting. One of the Apalachin's discussions centered on Cuba, notably La Cosa Nostra's gambling and drug smuggling activities there. Another crucial subject on the Apalachin agenda was the global drug trafficking. Other significant items on the Apalachin agenda included the interests and rackets of the New York garment industry, including the control of garment center trucking and loansharking to the owners of the businesses.

At Barbara's mansion in Apalachin, New York, on November 14, 1957, powerful mafiosi from the United States and Italy gathered. On the meeting's agenda were open issues about illegal gambling and drug trafficking, notably in the New York City region. Edgar D. Croswell, a state trooper, saw that Barbara's son was making hotel reservations nearby and having a lot of meat delivered to Barbara's house from a nearby butcher. Croswell was suspicious as a result, and he made the decision to keep an eye on Barbara's home. The state police started recording license plate numbers when they discovered numerous luxury vehicles parked at Barbara's house. State police reinforcements arrived at the location and started to set up a roadblock after discovering that several of these cars were registered to notorious criminals. The mob started leaving the gathering on foot and by car as soon as they became aware of the police presence. a a a a st a st a st a st a st a a an a s and a As they were leaving the estate, the police stopped a car driven by Bufalino, with Genovese and three other men inside. Bufalino said that he had come to visit his ailing friend, Barbara. Genovese claimed he was only there for a cookout and to speak with Barbara about business. He was freed by the police.

To falsely accuse Genovese in a narcotics deal, Gambino and Luciano allegedly contributed to the payment of a portion of $100,000 to a drug dealer in Puerto Rico. Genovese was given a 15-year prison sentence for narcotics charges on April 17, 1959; he passed away there on February 14, 1969.

At Naples International Airport, Luciano passed away from a heart attack on January 26, 1962. Three days later, 300 people showed up in Naples for Luciano's burial. His body was driven through Naples' streets in a black hearse carried by horses. The US government gave Luciano's family permission to transport his body back to New York for burial. In Middle Village, Queens, at St. John's Cemetery, he was laid to rest. His funeral drew more than 2,000 mourners. Longtime friend of Luciano Gambino delivered the eulogy.

Boss

Gambino then gained control of The Commission after Genovese was imprisoned. Although heroin and cocaine were extremely profitable, Gambino hated drugs and believed that they would draw attention. In the Gambino fashion, a family member who sold drugs would be executed.

The Gambino family had 500 soldiers and more than 1,000 associates in the 1960s. The oldest child of Carlo Gambino, Thomas Gambino, wed Frances Lucchese in 1962. At the wedding, which had more than a thousand guests, Carlo Gambino gave Lucchese a gift worth $30,000. At Idlewild Airport, Lucchese offered Gambino a portion of his rackets as payment. Lucchese had authority over all airport unions, security, and administration. Lucchese and Gambino now jointly controlled the airport, the Commission, and the majority of New York City's organized crime.

a plot to undermine the Commission

Joseph Bonanno, the leader of the Bonanno criminal family, planned to assassinate Frank DeSimone, Tommy Lucchese, Stefano Magaddino, and bosses Gambino, Tommy Lucchese, and Tommy Lucchese in 1963. Joseph Magliocco immediately agreed to support Bonanno's request. In addition to being enraged over being passed over for a Commission position, Profaci and Bonanno had been close friends for more than 30 years before Profaci's passing. The bold plan of Bonanno was to take control of the Commission and install Magliocco as his assistant. Magliocco hired Joseph Colombo, one of his finest hit men, to assassinate Lucchese and Gambino as part of the assignment. However, the shrewd Colombo let his targets know about the scheme. The other bosses saw right once that Magliocco could not have orchestrated this on his own. The other bosses came to the conclusion that Bonanno was the true mastermind after recalling how close Bonanno and Magliocco were and their intimate relationships through marriage. To give a statement, the Commission called Bonanno and Magliocco. Magliocco was left to handle the Commission while Bonanno fled to Montreal out of fear for his life. Magliocco acknowledged his part in the conspiracy despite being severely shaken and in poor condition. Magliocco was not killed, but the Commission made him step down from his position as head of the Profaci family and pay a $50,000 punishment. Colombo received the Profaci family as payment for betraying his employer.

health order and deportation

The Immigration and Naturalization Service began deportation proceedings as early as 1953, but because to Gambino's heart problem and many hospitalizations, they stalled for a number of years. He was detained on March 23, 1970, after being charged with plotting to kidnap an armored car transporting $3 million. Due to his poor health, he was released on a $75,000 bail and never went to trial. The same year, the Supreme Court affirmed a 1967 judgment that he be deported because he had entered the country unlawfully. He had earlier appealed this decision. Gambino experienced a severe heart attack and had to be taken to the hospital as soon as the authorities attempted to carry out the order.

Sri Lankan assassination

At the second Italian Unity Day event in Columbus Circle, which was organized by the Italian-American Civil Rights League, Colombo was shot three times by Jerome A. Johnson, one of which hit him in the head. Johnson was then fatally shot by Colombo's bodyguards. After the shooting, Colombo became crippled and passed away in 1978.

Although Joe Gallo was largely held responsible for the shooting by the Colombo family, the police ultimately came to the conclusion that Johnson was the sole shooter after questioning Gallo. One allegation was that the shooting was planned by the Gambino crime family since Johnson had recently visited a Gambino club. Colombo allegedly spat in Gambino's face during one fight and refused to listen to the rapper's criticisms of the League. The leadership of the Colombo family, however, was certain that Gallo had ordered the assassination following a dispute with the family. On April 7, 1972, Gallo was killed.

Murder of Tommy Eboli

Gerardo Catena succeeded Genovese as the company's official boss after his death. Catena was arrested and imprisoned in 1970, nonetheless. For the following two years, Thomas Eboli served as the family's "front boss." Eboli, however, aspired to take over as the Genovese family's legitimate leader. Eboli borrowed $4 million from Carlo Gambino, the head of the competing Gambino criminal family and the chairman of the Commission, to finance a new drug trafficking enterprise in order to promote his career. However, law authorities quickly dismantled Eboli's drug operation and detained the majority of his team. Eboli allegedly received a visit from Gambino and his underling Aniello Dellacroce seeking their money back, but he was empty-handed. Then, allegedly in response to not being paid, Gambino ordered the assassination of Eboli. It is thought that Gambino actually wanted Frank "Funzi" Tieri to take Eboli's position and that he set up Eboli using the drug trafficking organization. On July 16, 1972, Eboli walked to his chauffeured Cadillac automobile from his girlfriend's residence in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. A shooter in a passing truck opened fire on Eboli five times while he was sitting in the parked automobile. Eboli died quickly after being hit in the head and neck. No one was ever put on trial for this homicide.

Death

Early on Friday, October 15, 1976, in his Massapequa home, Gambino passed away at the age of 74. having watched the New York Yankees win the American League pennant on television the night before. Given a recent history of heart problems, the official cause of death was listed as natural causes, and his passing was not shocking. His wake took place during the weekend of October 16 and 17 at Cusimano & Russo Funeral Home. On Monday, October 18, a funeral liturgy was given for him at Brooklyn's Church of Our Lady of Grace. Then, at the Cloister building of Queens' Saint John Cemetery, Gambino was interred in the private room reserved for his family. Numerous hundred people attended Gambino's burial and wake, as plainclothes officers and FBI agents socialized outside. Thirteen limos, perhaps a dozen private vehicles, and a flower car made up his burial procession.

Aftermath

Contrary to predictions, he had earlier chosen Castellano over his subordinate Dellacroce to succeed him. Gambino seemed to think that Castellano's focus on white collar industries would be advantageous to his crime organization. Dellacroce was unable to challenge Castellano's succession because he was at the time incarcerated for tax evasion.

a' o a. an an a" that,s an an a The customary Cosa Nostra activities of extortion, robbery, and loansharking were carried out directly by Dellacroce while he continued to serve as underboss under Castellano's arrangement. Dellacroce acknowledged Castellano's succession, but the agreement divided the Gambino family into two hostile groups.