Paul Vario

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Prison photo by Paul Vario

Paul "Paulie" Vario (born July 10, 1914 in New York City , † May 3, 1988 in Fort Worth , Texas ) was an American mobster and capo of the Lucchese family . He was considered one of the most brutal gangsters in New York City.

In Germany he became known in 1990 for the film Good Fellas - Three decades in the Mafia by Martin Scorsese , in which he is represented by the character Paul Cicero .

Life

Career

First contacts to La Cosa Nostra go back to the 1920s. Vario owned a flower shop on Fulton Avenue , New York, as well as a number of other businesses, including a car junkyard and a bar-restaurant.

Paul Vario was considered very cautious about things that required his name. He largely avoided making phone calls himself. He never used his private phone, only pay and card phones on the street were possible for him. His boat, anchored in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, had no name either. He never spoke out loud about his illegal business and jobs, but whispered it directly in people's ears.

At the height of his criminal career, he was involved in illegal gambling , betting, and usury across New York City and beyond. Vario worked with Giovanni "Johnny Dio" Dioguardi , who had infiltrated unions. Paul Vario had a significant influence on the criminal activities at Idlewild Airport, which was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963 . In 1967, Henry Hill and accomplices in the Air France robbery stole over $ 400,000 and Vario shared in the profits.

In 1972, Vario was imprisoned for three years after the police had wired his headquarters for six months and collected 54,000 photos of evidence. After his release, his previous position of power was filled and a number of his businesses were ruined. The new boss Anthony Corallo had appointed Salvatore "Tom Mix" Santoro as the new underboss . Vario then organized a drug smuggling from Colombia , which was discovered by an informant . The cargo was confiscated.

After this setback, Vario and James Burke planned the so-called Lufthansa Heist , whereby his accomplices alone achieved a profit of six million dollars. In 1980, Henry Hill testified in court as Pentito against Vario, because he was facing an enormous penalty for drug trafficking and had thereby also violated an instruction from Vario. In addition, the FBI Hill had presented a recording of Burke, apparently in which his death was decided. As a result of further investigations triggered by this, Vario was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Imprisonment, death and succession

Paul Vario spent the rest of his life in the Federal Correctional Institution of Fort Worth in custody. When he was found lifeless in his cell at night, he was taken to St. Joseph Hospital , where he was found dead on May 3, 1988 at 5:04 am local time. November 22, 1988 was also circulated as the anniversary of Paul Vario's death. This date contradicts his death report in the New York Times on May 5, 1988. His body was buried in St. John's Cemetery in Queens.

The Vario crew he led was later led by Alphonse D'Arco and Domenico "Danny" Cutaia.

family

Vario had four brothers:

  • Leonard Vario (1909–1981)
  • Thomas Vario (1917–1984)
  • Salvatore Vario (1919-1976)
  • Vito "Tuddy" Vario (January 20, 1928 - March 5, 1988)

Together with his wife Phyllis he left three sons:

  • Peter Vario
  • Paul Vario, Jr.
  • Leonard "Lenny" Vario (March 21, 1946 - 1973)

Adaptations

Paul Vario is mentioned in Nicholas Pileggi's book : The Mob Inside. A Mafioso unpacks, Berlin, Frankfurt / M .: Ullstein 1989, which he wrote together with Henry Hill. Since the script of Martin Scorsese's mafia drama Good Fellas - Three Decades in the Mafia from 1990 is based on this book, the film character Paul Cicero should correspond to him. In the film, Vario is portrayed as calm and level-headed, while he is said to have been brutal and quick-tempered according to Hill's memories.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d e Obituary in the New York Times “Paul Vario, 73; Called a Leader Of Crime Group "by Mark A. Uhlig on May 5, 1988 (English)
  2. ↑ Article NY Daily News (Eng.)
personal data
SURNAME Vario, Paul
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Vario, Paulie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American mobster
DATE OF BIRTH July 10, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City , United States
DATE OF DEATH November 22, 1988
Place of death Fort Worth , Texas , United States