About The MOB
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Tommy Gagliano
? to c. 1951.
Gagliano rose to prominence along with Tommy Lucchese in the Bronx-based Mafia family of Gaetano Reina.
As trouble between Joe Masseria and the Brooklyn Castellammarese Mafia began in 1930, Reina's organization was divided. Reina outwardly sided with Masseria but his sympathies were with the Castellammarese. Reina's Feb. 26, 1930, assassination, probably at the hands of Masseria men, caused Gagliano, Lucchese and much of their organization to give their support to the Castellammarese.
Gagliano and Lucchese appear to have cooperated on the 1930 assassination of Joe Pinzolo, a Masseria puppet installed as Family leader after Reina's death.
Gagliano was officially recognized as boss of the old Reina group after the war ended in 1931. Lucchese served as his underboss until about 1951. At about that time, Gagliano is presumed to have died of natural causes. (The date of Gagliano's death is not certain.)
Carmine Galante
1910 to July 12, 1979.
Galante was regarded as one of the more ruthless of the American Mafiosi. Many believe he ascended to the leadership of the Bonanno crime Family in New York upon Phillip "Rusty" Rastelli's 10-year conviction in 1974 for extortion. Some insist that Galante was never recognized as Family boss and only led a rebellious wing of the Bonanno clan.
Galante certainly had designs on the boss job and looks to have meddled a bit in affairs of other Families. That earned him a number of powerful enemies.
When Rastelli emerged from prison early, in 1979, it is believed that he and Gambino Family underboss Aniello Dellacroce set Galante up. Galante was shot to death at the conclusion of a meal in the grotto of Joe and Mary's Restaurant, 205 Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn, on July 12, 1979. He was 69 years old.
Galante's Sicilian immigrant ("Zip") bodyguards proved to be of little worth on the occasion and are believed to have cooperated in the hit.
Rastelli regained control of the Bonanno Family until he was once again successfully prosecuted in 1985.
Joe Gallo
April 6, 1929, to April 7, 1972.
"Crazy Joe"
Early in his career, Gallo served as an enforcer for the Brooklyn-based Joe Profaci crime family. Gallo is believed by some to have been part of the team that assassinated Albert Anastasia in 1957. Gallo and his brothers, Albert and Larry, were called to testify before the McClellan Committee in 1958 and answered all questions by citing the Fifth Amendment.
Profaci's Family and that of Joe Bonanno, linked by marriage, comprised a strong conservative wing of the Mafia's ruling Commission. The Gallo brothers began having problems with Profaci around 1960 and took their complaints to Carlo Gambino, boss of another family and leader of the Commission's liberal wing. The complaints were likely related to the membership dues Profaci charged the men in his crime family. Gambino took the complaints to a meeting of the Commission in 1962 and called on "Old Man" Profaci to retire.
When Profaci and Bonanno objected, the Commission - faced with the prospect of a civil war throughout the mob - gave Profaci a vote of confidence. The Gallos fell in line momentarily.
When Profaci died of cancer later in 1962, his crime family split apart, probably due to meddling by Gambino and allies. (The Bonanno family would also later splinter as a result of Commission politics.) Joe Magliocco, Profaci's underboss, attempted to control the family, but he was ill-suited to the job. The Gallos grew in strength and openly broke with Magliocco.
Magliocco died of a heart attack in 1963 and was succeeded by Gambino ally Joe Colombo. Colombo, helped by Joe Gallo's imprisonment for attempting to extort money from a Manhattan cafe owner, was able to get the Family in order.
Joe Gallo was released from prison in 1971 and was the prime suspect when Colombo was assassinated in that year. (But, apparently, Gambino had grown disgusted with Colombo's publicity-seeking behavior and decided to eliminate him.)
Gallo declared that he was going straight and announced he was beginning work on his memoirs. That was apparently a book the underworld did not want written. Early in the morning of April 7, 1972, continuing his birthday celebration begun on the evening of April 6, Gallo and some companions settled in for a meal at Umberto's Clam House in Manhattan's Little Italy. A gunman stepped into the building and shot Joe Gallo to death.
Giosue Gallucci
c. 1870 to May 17, 1915.
Carlucci, "Don Gesuele," "King"
Gallucci reigned as the king of the Italian Harlem rackets from about 1910 to 1915.
Gallucci was a "connected" businessman and local political influence before 1910, establishing a string of successful businesses through Camorra- and Mafia-approved monopolies and with the aid of local gangs he kept on the payroll. Among his legal enterprises were a coffeehouse and a bake shop located near each other on East 109th Street.
While there is evidence that Gallucci was originally from central Italy, he appears to have cooperated with the Sicilian Lupo-Morello mob, which ran underworld activities in East Harlem, the Little Italy of the Lower East Side and some sections of Brooklyn, and to have had a working relationship with Neapolitan Camorra groups in the area.
Gallucci's brother, Gennaro, and family friend Joe Strapone, were reportedly early members of East Harlem underworld. Gennaro and Strapone were gunned down in 1909.
When Ignazio Lupo, Giuseppe Morello and other top members of that organization were jailed for counterfeiting in 1910, Gallucci benefited. He became the unofficial mayor of East Harlem, ensured a non-competitive business climate for merchants who paid their "taxes," and administered a lucrative lottery. He was often seen in the company of political leaders for whom he was expected to deliver the East Harlem vote.
Some believe Morello's and Lupo's kin, Vincent and Ciro Terranova, acted as lieutenants in Gallucci's group. However, it is more likely that they were chiefs of a street gang that got regular work from the "king." It was fairly common practice for political and business leaders of the time to employ street toughs for their own protection and for the harassment of rivals.
Gallucci was himself harassed by a gang of Neapolitan "black handers" run by Aniello "Zopo" Prisco. The Prisco gang extorted money from the king. (Gallucci's story sounds very similar to that of Jim Colosimo, a Chicago political boss with underworld connections, who was also blackmailed.)
A Gallucci brother (newspapers said his name was Giuseppe) and several members of entourage were gunned down by Prisco men when the king refused to make "protection" payments in 1911.
To resolve matters, Gallucci set up a meeting with Prisco on the evening of Dec. 16, 1912. Prisco probably did not expect an ambush as the meeting was planned for a barbershop run by his allies, the DelGaudio brothers. But Gallucci took suddenly ill and could not leave the back room of his bake shop at 318 East 109th Street. He sent a messenger to find Prisco and bring him to the shop.
When the terrible Zopo arrived, he was promptly shot in the head by Gallucci aide John Russomano. The king told the police the killing was in self-defense. He asserted that Prisco had come to rob him of $100. Russomano, he said, drew a pistol. Prisco turned to fire at Russomano, and Russomano got off the first shot. The police accepted the explanation - not surprising, considering Gallucci's political clout - but Russomano and Gallucci were marked for death by the survivors in Prisco's gang.
Gallucci was probably unaware that he was also in jeopardy from the Sicilian Mafiosi in Harlem. The Sicilians had had just about enough of working for someone else.
Gallucci's prestige began to wither in 1913, as a gang war with Prisco's old outfit stretched on, and he was scrambling to maintain control of the underworld in 1914 and 1915. Rival lotteries were springing up right under his nose.
Gallucci and his son Luca were gunned down at their coffeehouse at 336 East 109th Street on May 17, 1915. The assassins remain unknown.
Gallucci lingered for a few days at a local hospital before succumbing to his injuries. His death would spark a new round of Sicilian-Neapolitan warfare in New York and would elevate Vincent and Ciro Terranova to boss status in the Harlem underworld.
Carlo Gambino
Aug. 24, 1902, to Oct. 15, 1976.
Gambino was born in Palermo, Sicily. He settled in New York in 1921 - according to some sources the precise date was Dec. 23 - and began an association with the Castellano clan, a branch of the D'Aquila Mafia group.
During his bootlegging years, he was regarded as a weak personality, a follower. But weakness might have been just a facade. Gambino seems to have used assassination to advance himself in the ranks of the Mafia and to advance his liberal views of the crime organization.
He became prominent in the Mangano Family (which had been led by D'Aquila, Al Mineo and then Frank Scalise in the years leading up to 1931 underworld reorganization) after Vincent Mangano's disappearance in 1951. He was named underboss to Albert Anastasia in 1956. Anastasia was killed the next year, and Gambino took over family leadership.
Gambino is believed to have been at least partly responsible for inciting revolts within the conservative Mafia clans of Profaci (later known as Colombo) and Bonanno.
He was a one-time supporter and later opponent of both Joe Colombo and Joe Gallo, big names in the former Profaci Family. Colombo's assassination in 1971 was probably masterminded by Gambino. Gallo's death a year later also looks to have been his work.
Gambino died of a heart attack Oct. 15, 1976. His underboss Aniello Dellacroce had much support to take over the family but agreed instead to serve under Paul Castellano, who was a relative and an apprentice of Gambino.
Angelo Genna
? to May 25, 1924.
Genna came to the United States in 1910 with his family, which included five other brothers - Anthony, Michael, Sam, Peter, James. The clan settled in Chicago and rose to leadership of the Mafia there.
Once allied with the Colosimo-Torrio-Capone group, they later broke with Capone after the 1924 death of Mike Merlo. Merlo, who served in a dual role of Unione Siciliana president and Mafia chief, was widely regarded as a peacemaker. Angelo Genna stepped up to the Unione presidency in 1924.
A Chicago Prohibition-Era power struggle ended the lives of two of the Genna brothers. Angelo was killed in his car on May 25, 1924. His brother Michael lost his life in a gunfight the next month. The surviving Gennas fled the city to save their lives.
Their departure allowed the Aiello clan, recently arrived in Chicago, to rise to dominance of the local Sicilian underworld.
Vito Genovese
Nov. 21, 1897, to 1969.
"Don Vitone"
Genovese was born near Naples, Italy. He arrived in New York City at the age of 15 on May 23, 1913.
As a teenager, he became involved in the Lower East Side multi-ethnic gangs that also produced Charlie "Lucky" Luciano and Meyer Lansky. In 1917, during the height of Mafia-Camorra friction in the city, Genovese - a Camorra sympathizer - was arrested for possession of a handgun.
In the 1920s, Genovese became a key figure under Luciano as Charlie Lucky took over the Manhattan operations of Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. It is believed that Genovese was among the gunmen who assassinated Masseria in 1931, ending the Castellammarese War. He might also have had a hand in setting up the murder of Salvatore Maranzano, allowing Luciano to become the most powerful character in the U.S. Mafia.
Luciano named Genovese his underboss in 1931. Genovese would have taken over the Family after 1936, when Luciano was convicted on compulsory prostitution charges, but Genovese had to flee the country to dodge a murder charge.
In Italy, Genovese appears to have had a good relationship with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, generally the enemy of Mafiosi.
At the conclusion of World War II in 1945, U.S. occupying forces in Italy discovered Genovese and returned him to New York. Genovese beat the old murder rap and began taking control of Luciano's old family from then-boss Frank Costello.
Old friends, the relationship between Costello and Genovese degenerated into a long feud. An assassination attempt on Costello in 1957 was traced to Genovese gunman Vincent Gigante. Costello anounced his retirement after that, allowing Genovese to control the organization.
Genovese and Carlo Gambino might have worked together to eliminate strong Costello-ally Albert Anastasia later that year.
A new boss eager to establish himself as a big shot on the national scene, Genovese allegedly called the ill-fated Mafia convention in Apalachin, N.Y., on Nov. 14, 1957. Police discovered that convention, detaining everyone in sight, and establishing for certain the existence of the nationwide criminal network.
Genovese was convicted on narcotics trafficking charges in 1959 and earned a 15-year sentence. He continued to run Family matters from behind bars (through acting bosses like Tommy Eboli) until his 1969 heart attack death in prison.
He probably never attained the same boss of bosses prestige that had been held by Luciano.
Sam Giancana
May 24, 1908, to June 19, 1975.
Gilormo Giangono, "Mooney," "Momo"
Giancana became boss of the Chicago Mafia organization in 1956. After a rollercoaster career, he was assassinated in 1975.
Born May 24, 1908 (or June 15, 1908, as reported by the FBI), Giancana grew up in the 42 Gang on Chicago's west side. He was arrested often in the late 1920s (22 times in 1928 alone). Some of those arrests were on serious criminal charges, but none of the cases made it to trial.
He did serve time in prison 1930-31 for burglary and was behind bars once again in 1939-42. Those sentences helped earn him notice among the big-time Chicago Mafiosi.
In 1933, he became a bodyguard for Outfit bigshot Tony Accardo. In 1948, with Accardo then the big boss, he graduated to the position of the family's primary enforcer. By 1950, he was specializing in gambling and associating with Hollywood stars. When Accardo began losing a battle with the Internal Revenue Service, he turned the Family operations over to Giancana.
Giancana is believed to have had connections with the Kennedy family of Massachusetts and to have assisted in John F. Kennedy's Presidential election in 1960. Some sources have claimed that Giancana and Kennedy shared mistresses and passed information to each other through their women.
It appears Giancana had good reason to feel that he was betrayed by the Kennedy Administration, as Attorney General Robert Kennedy put enormous legal pressure on the Chicago crime lord. Giancana eventually fled the United States for Mexico in 1966, turning the Family back over to Accardo but continuing to participate from a distance.
U.S. authorities convinced Mexico to shove Giancana back across the border in 1974. Aging and in declining health, he was ordered to appear before a Senate panel in July 1975.
Just five days before his scheduled appearance, on June 19, 1975, an unknown gunman ended Sam Giancana's life. Police found a bullet entry wound in the back of his head and several more in his mouth. Clearly some of Giancana's associates believed he was in no condition to take a fall and do jail time at that point.
Vincent Gigante
1928 to Dec. 19, 2005.
"Vinny the Chin"
Gigante evaded law enforcement for many years by playing the role of mentally ill street person. He gave up the act in an April 2003 court hearing, six years after being locked up as the reigning boss of the Genovese crime family.
Gigante died Monday, Dec. 19, 2005, at the federal prison in Springfield, Mo. He was 77 years old. Born in the Bronx in 1928, Gigante earned his "Chin" nickname during his days as a boxer. (A conflicting story says that "Chin" was a shortened form of "Vincenzo.") His boxing career started in 1946 and ended shortly after that.
His criminal career was considerably longer, spanning half a century. He entered the underworld as a protege of Mafia bigshot Vito Genovese. He first became known to the American public as the prime suspect in the May 1957 assassination attempt against Mafia leader Frank Costello. It is believed that Gigante, working under orders from Costello rival Vito Genovese (orders that were transmitted through group leader Tommy Eboli) cornered Costello in the lobby of his apartment house and shot him in the head at close range.
The bullet only grazed Costello, however. Costello's refusal to testify against Gigante, a man Costello insisted was "a friend," resulted in Gigante's acquittal. Costello retired as boss of the Luciano family, leaving the operation to Genovese.
Gigante was convicted of drug trafficking in 1959 and was sentenced to five years in prison. His Mafia credentials were greatly enhanced by his prison term.
After his release, Gigante served in leadership roles in the Genovese family. Genovese, himself, was in prison and controlled the family through acting bosses such as Gerardo Catena and Tommy Eboli.
Gigante eventually became boss of the family, though it is unclear just when that occurred. Most likely it did not occur until the early 1980s.
Gigante screened his involvement in the Mafia clan by having Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno (who died in 1992) pass himself off as the family boss. Gigante also did his best to portray himself as a helpless paranoid schizophrenic. He wandered the streets of Greenwich Village in his pajamas, often conducted public conversations with himself and was once found hiding under an umbrella in his shower.
Prosecutors had success against Salerno but could not score a conviction against Gigante until 1997 (his feigned mental illness delayed proceedings on that matter by seven years). By then, the boss's mental illness act had earned him a new nickname, "the Oddfather."
Gigante was sentenced to a dozen years for racketeering in 1997. Additional charges were brought against him after that.
John Gotti
Oct. 27, 1940, to June 10, 2002.
"Dapper Don," "Teflon Don"
Gotti was a member of a Gambino Crime Family faction intensely loyal to underboss Aniello Dellacroce. He became boss of the family after the assassination of Paul Castellano in 1985 and established a reputation for frustrating prosecutors.
Upon Carlo Gambino's death in 1976, underboss Dellacroce was passed over, and Gambino relative Paul Castellano was installed as boss instead. The Dellacroce faction was enraged.
From the group's headquarters at the Ravenite Social Club, Gotti plotted against Castellano. Dellacroce, however, demanded that his followers remain loyal to the boss. Gotti's hands were untied when Dellacroce died on Dec. 2, 1985.
Gotti organized the successful hit on Castellano and his driver Thomas Bilotti outside of Sparks Steak House in Manhattan on Dec. 16, 1985. The murder has been explained as a revenge for the injustice suffered by Dellacroce, as a preemptive strike against the boss who allegedly planned to break up Gotti's crew, and as a disciplinary measure for Castellano's incautious remarks in a home bugged by federal agents.
As boss of the Gambino Family, Gotti became a publicity-seeking celebrity. He was constantly in trouble with the law. But he earned his "Teflon Don" nickname because early charges would not stick.
The early 1990s betrayal of a figure high in the Gambino Family helped prosecutors finally put Gotti behind bars. Prosecutors were also aided by Gotti's own incautious remarks in a bugged apartment over the Ravenite Social Club. He was convicted of murder, racketeering and numerous other charges in 1992.
While serving his life sentence, Gotti was diagnosed with cancer of the throat in 1998. He underwent surgery and treatment, but the cancer returned. He died in a prison hospital in Springfield, Missouri, in 2002.
Giuseppe Guinta
? to 1929.
"Hoptoad"
Guinta briefly led the Chicago Unione Siciliana in 1929 and tried unsuccessfully to organize a revolt among Sicilians affiliated with Al Capone's Chicago gang.
Joe Guinta took over the Unione presidency upon the death of Pasqualino Lolordo in January 1929. He continued resistance to Capone's attempts to dominate the Unione and drew John Scalise and Albert Anselmi, believed at the time to be Capone enforcers, into a plot to eliminate their boss.
Capone learned of the conspiracy against him. On May 7, 1929, he invited the unsuspecting Guinta, Scalise and Anselmi to a celebration at the Hawthorne Inn in Cicero. At the dinner, he had the three men suddenly bound and proceeded to beat them to death with a baseball bat. A few bullets were thrown in for good measure.
So ended Guinta's career and the Chicago rebellion. The beating deaths, however, caused a great deal of concern among Capone's New York colleagues (many of whom were proudly Sicilian and strongly objected to Neapolitan Capone's abuses of their countrymen). Capone had to answer for his actions at a mid-May conference in Atlantic City.
Guinta was replaced as Unione boss by Capone's greatest Sicilian rival Joe Aiello.
