Gambino family

The Gambino family ( Gambino Crime Family ), formerly known as the Mangano family , is an Italian-American mafia family belonging to the American Cosa Nostra and one of the so-called Five Families of New York City , who largely control organized crime there .

history

From the Camorra to the Mafia

The forerunners of the family can be traced back to Enrico Alfano , who was deported to Italy in 1907, and his successor Pellegrino Morano : As the leader of the Camorra in Brooklyn in 1914, Morano started a war with the Sicilian Mafia, the so-called Mafia-Camorra War . In particular, he messed with the Morello family , which can be considered the forerunners of the Genovese family . With Giuseppe Morello, this company presented something like the first “ Capo di tutti i capi ” (Italian: Boss of all bosses) in New York City. However, in 1910 he and his brother-in-law Ignazio Saietta from the Black Hand Gang were sentenced to prison for spreading counterfeit money. Apparently, Morano hoped with the removal of Nicholas Morello , who had succeeded his incarcerated brother, to win the confrontation against the Sicilians.

When Nicholas Morello and his bodyguard Charles Ubriaco were on the way to a peaceful settlement in the Navy St. Cafe on November 6, 1916, they were attacked and killed by five people in front of the street cafe. The area was ruled by the Navy St. Gang , whose boss was Alessandro Vollero and an important subordinate of Morano. The Navy St. Cafe also served as the headquarters of the Navy St. Gang. Morano and Vollero felt completely safe, but were then arrested for days for this act, as one of the five shooters had apparently testified before the police. Morano was convicted in 1917 and deported to Italy in 1919. As a result, the influence of the Camorra disappeared, the group of Morano was taken over by the Sicilian Salvatore "Toto D'Aquila" , who can thus be considered the first actual head of the Mafia clan, later known as the Gambino family .

The dispute between Sicilians and non-Sicilians would later play a role in the internal disputes, see in particular the later opening of the Unione Siciliana to non-Sicilians. On the other hand, the American Mafia and other Italian groups, in contrast to their homeland, did not have the illegal monopoly of force , but were in competition with other ethnic groups, especially the Irish and members of the Kosher Nostra ; For this reason, membership was not only shaped according to origin, such as in Italy or Sicily , but was determined tactically.

Toto D'Aquila had already been a member of the original Mafia in Sicily before he emigrated to the USA, and was therefore considered a so-called Mustache Pete , since he also used the methods of the Sicilian Mafia in addition to Italian cheese, olive oil, etc. USA introduced. Police reports about his activities existed as early as 1906 and 1909. On October 28, 1928, he was shot dead by the killers Joe Masseria .

Alfred Mineo and the "War of Castellammare"

Joe Masseria had prevailed in the Morello family , Peter Morello (alias Giuseppe Morello) , who was dismissed in 1919, was considered his capo and other members of the Morello-Terranova clan, such as Ciro Terranova , subordinated themselves, so that Masseria was definitely the boss of the entire U.S. Cosa Nostra can be viewed in New York City at the time.

D'Aquila's successor was initially Alfred Mineo ; but D'Aquila was not to be the only one dead. By fascism in Italy the Mafia had been in Sicily problems. The tacit alliance with the state, which ranged from tolerance to corruption , no longer worked easily. The injustice system of fascism was in no way inferior to the ruthlessness and brutality of the mafia. For example, the mafioso Don Vito Cascio Ferro was simply left behind in his cell in 1943 when the Allies carried out their landing in Sicily , where he died out. Don Ferro, with first-class contacts to the Morello family and the Black Hand Gang , for example, was probably responsible for sending Salvatore Maranzano to New York City.

It was downright an escape of Mafia members to New York City, among other places (US sources put a figure of 500) and Don Ferro himself may have planned to emigrate again, which had failed due to his deportation to Italy in 1909. Maranazano, whether on behalf of his Don or in his own interest, now began the fight against Joe Masseria; which is called the War of Castellammare , because Maranzano gathered Sicilians from Castellammare del Golfo around him. In this dispute he tried 1930–1931 to assert himself as the "boss of all bosses", which they ultimately failed - despite the murder of Joe Masseria on April 15, 1931 - and led to the formation of the National Crime Syndicate .

In the course of this conflict Mineo was shot on November 5, 1930. This assassination is considered to be one of the preludes in the "War of Castellammare", which in fact began with the assassination of "Peter the Clutch Hand" Morello on August 15, 1930. Mineo's successor was Frank Scalise, who was allied with Maranzano . However, since Maranzano himself was murdered on September 10, 1931, he had to resign and Vincent Mangano took over the group, as he belonged to the now victorious group around Lucky Luciano .

Conflict between Vincent Mangano and Albert Anastasia

Mangano's business idea was to control docks and ports. In principle, he raised protection money on goods from freight forwarders and shipping companies that wanted to ship or land them. They also took a daily fee from every dock worker who worked in the docks; As a result, Mangano always knew when which cargo was arriving with which ship and was able to decide whether it was not even worth stealing it. In this way, considerable influence was exerted on the dockworkers' unions. This was also one of the roots that led directly to the union corruption of the Teamsters under Jimmy Hoffa , because in return for the services provided by the unionists, only the employment of union members was tolerated in principle.

Together with the Vice-President of the International Longshoremen's Association Emil Camarda , Mangano founded the City Democratic Club as a superficial figurehead , which was supposed to serve American interests. In the background, however, they went about their illegal activities; In particular, there were regular meetings of the members of Murder, Inc. , a special group that from 1931 to around 1941 carried out the mafia's murder orders for a fee. Philip Mangano, Mangano's brother, was just as often present in this 'club' as his brother or the underboss Albert Anastasia .

The collaboration between Mangano and Anastasia was not free of conflict, as the 'working style' of other greats like Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello and Louis Buchalter was closer to him than the ' old school ' of Vincent Mangano, who still adhered to the classic mafia rules. Anastasia's collaboration with the other families would actually have required Mangano's permission, and this fact laid the foundation for a long-lasting conflict between the two.

On April 19, 1951, Mangano's brother Philip was found murdered near Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn . Vincent Mangano himself disappeared without a trace. The motive is somewhat unclear; In any case, Anastasia (according to Frank Costello) convinced the heads of the other Five Families in New York City that he had only anticipated his own murder.

Reorganization of families

Albert Anastasia was allied with Frank Costello , the boss of the mafia clan later known as the Genovese family , who also acted as the successor to Lucky Lucianos as head of the commission of the National Crime Syndicate , since Luciano had been deported to Italy in 1945. Vito Genovese was now preparing to suppress this. Genovese was secretly allied with the deputy Anastasias, Carlo Gambino and Joe Profaci , the boss of the Mafia family known as the Colombo family . On May 2, 1957, Costello was assassinated, as a result of which Costello resigned and Genovese took over his functions. On October 25, 1957, Anastasia was probably murdered by members of Profaci's group while visiting the hairdresser, and Gambino took over the management of the family that is named after him today.

Carlo Gambino appointed Aniello Dellacroce as his underboss after taking power . This had long been a close associate of Anastasia in the successor organization of Murder Inc. and was able to counteract an opposition from supporters of Anastasia. Gambino and Dellacroce expanded the family's business considerably and were ultimately able to extend their influence to two of the other Mafia families through politically clever moves.

Based on the traditional influence on the docks, the family became involved in drug smuggling. This influence was expanded by the family's Capo Anthony Scotto , who was able to build significant influence in the International Longshoremen's Association . Together with the Lucchese family , they ousted other groups of illegal actors around the John F. Kennedy International Airport and expanded their influence on garbage collection in New York and the Garment District . The infiltration was carried out by James Squillante , who was one of the killers of Albert Anastasia. He became known as the "king of the garbage collection racket". The infiltration of the garbage collectors by the Mafia in New York City ran parallel to the development of the Teamsters union as a whole - to which the garbage collectors belonged - and began as early as 1955 when the garbage collectors organized themselves through the union's "Local 813".

In addition to the illegal activities, Carlo Gambino was involved in pizzerias, night clubs, textile, construction and transport companies. The good relationship with the Lucchese family was underpinned when Gambino's son Thomas Gambino married Franca Lucchese in 1962, the daughter of boss Tommy Lucchese .

When Joseph Bonanno and the boss of the later Colombo family, Joseph Magliocco, failed in an attempt to take power on the commission in the early 1960s by eliminating Carlo Gambino, Tommy Lucchese and the Buffalo Mafia bosses (Stefano Magaddino) and Los Angeles ( Frank DeSimone ), the matter was brought before the American Mafia Commission .

The commission removed Bonanno and Magliocco. Magliocco's successor Joe Colombo was largely dependent on Gambino because he couldn't get his family under control on his own. After Lucchese retired in 1967, Gambino also supported his successor Carmine Tramunti , who was, however, essentially only formally the head of the Lucchese family.

The family split under Paul Castellano and Aniello Dellacroce

In the 1970s, Gambino's health deteriorated and he built his brother-in-law and cousin Paul Castellano as his successor against Aniello Dellacroce, who was more suitable from the point of view of the traditionalists of the family. At the time of Gambino's death, the family was therefore divided. A Brooklyn and a Manhattan faction faced each other. While the Brooklyn faction leaned towards Castellano, the Manhattan faction drew Dellacroce. Both parts also advocated a different strategy. While the Brooklyn faction likely to crimes of economic crime tended pursued Dela Croce fraction the usual criminal activities. Castellano's strategy was ultimately Gambino's method of investing illegal money in legal business areas.

The backing of the Manhattan faction waned more and more. Finally, Castellano's ban on participating in drug trafficking became problematic. Violations should be carried out by members of this family after consulting the boss of the Genovese family Vincent Gigante . Castellano had issued this ban because he feared increased attention from the state authorities and hindrances in other activities. However, members of the Manhattan faction were also active in the drug business contrary to Castellano's express ban. When FBI wiretaps in 1983 linked 13 members of the Gambino family to drug deals, the problem came to a head. The FBI had intercepted telephone calls from Angelo Ruggiero, which also incriminated Capo John Gotti and his brother Gene Gotti . Castellano insisted on seeing the recordings in order to enforce his ban if necessary. Attempts by Ruggieros and John Gottis to dissuade Castellano through Dellacroce succeeded in 1984 and 1985, but ultimately failed because of Dellacroce's advanced cancer. After Dellacroce died on December 2, 1985, the Gottis were finally faced with the alternative of either being killed themselves or of eliminating Castellano. On December 16, Castellano and his new underboss Thomas Bilotti were shot by four men in front of a steak restaurant in Manhattan. The entire team that was involved in this attack probably consisted of 11 men (including the main client John Gotti), with Sammy Gravano and Gotti watching the crime from a car.

The Gotti clan

After the death of Castellano, John Gotti, who was responsible for the attack, took over the management of the Gambino family. His time as the boss of the family should have received a lot of public attention. Gotti liked to be present in the press, which more traditional Mafiosi, such as Vincent Gigante, rejected. Gotti ran his business mainly from the back room of the "Ravenite Club" in Little Italy and held court there.

Gotti's takeover of power had met with rejection in other Mafia families with whom he had not discussed the coup. On April 13, 1986 there was a bomb attack against Gotti, in which only his "underboss" Frank DeCicco was killed. This assassination attempt was probably planned by Anthony Casso , who was hired for this vendetta.

Gotti gained the reputation of "Teflon-Don" after various legal proceedings against him ended in acquittals. The reasons for this were a bribed jury and a paid informer Gottis with the New York police . However, the FBI deliberately investigated Gotti independently of the police and public prosecutor's office . To do this, the FBI used extensive wiretapping and some informants . When Gotti showed his "underboss" Sammy Gravano more and more distrust - among other things, he regarded him as too greedy - and therefore expressed the idea of ​​murder, the FBI confronted Gravano with this and with investigation results against him. Gravano then testified against Gotti. On April 2, 1992, Gotti was then sentenced to life imprisonment with no prospect of parole.

After John Gotti was arrested, he managed the family from his cell by relaying news of his brothers and son, John A. Gotti , called "Junior". The daily business was essentially taken over by the capos John D'Amico , James Failla and Nicholas Corozzo , the latter is said to have taken over the position of "acting boss" at the insistence of John Gotti's younger brother Gene Gotti .

However, Failla were convicted in 1994 and Corozzo arrested shortly before Christmas 1996 . Failla was sentenced to seven years and Corozzo and to eight years in prison. The family was then taken over by the son John Gottis, before he too was sentenced in 1998 to a prison term of 77 months. When John Gotti died in prison on June 10, 2002, his brother Peter Gotti became the boss. By this time the Gambino family had lost a lot of size and importance. The family had shrunk from around 250 full members to 150 full members. Of the 21 capos working for the family in 1991, only five were still active and 13 of the former capos were either in custody or had already died.

Old Bridge

The Gambino family hit the headlines again when many members and associates of the family, including the then leader John D'Amico , were arrested on February 8, 2008 as part of a joint action by US and Italian investigative authorities against organized crime .

The trigger for the action, in which a total of around 90 members and associates of various mafia families were imprisoned in the USA and Sicily, was among other things the suspicion that Sicilian mafiosi from Salvatore Lo Piccolo's environment were recently trying to establish closer ties to organized crime of New York to revive the Pizza Connection .

In Italy alone, around 300 emergency services are said to have been involved in the action, arresting 20–30 people from the environment of Salvatore Lo Piccolo , who was arrested a week before the action. Leading members of the Inzerillo, Mannino, DiMaggio and Gambino families were arrested, including the new alleged head Frank Cali , a nephew of John Gotti. 62 people were arrested in Brooklyn and Cherry Hill , New York . Cali is said to have run a network of food producing and selling companies that allegedly served the Cali Gambino Inzerillo clan as a cover for drug and other black market trafficking.

The New York Prosecutor's Office, headed by Prosecutor Benton Campbell , filed a 170-page lawsuit against those arrested, charged with murder, extortion, usury of credit, conspiracy and drug trafficking. The charges are against the leadership of the Gambino family.

Historical tour

Head of the family

The head of a Mafia family is not always so clearly identifiable; especially if another family member comes to the fore due to a prison sentence. The external view does not always make it easy to recognize a new head as such or to determine his exact term of office. In addition, a presidential system seems to be establishing itself to a certain extent ; d. H. the head shifts his power more to a so-called “acting boss” and / or “street boss”, who in turn continue to recognize the head as such, even if he is, for example, in custody.

Another variant has recently been the formation of a management group, in which the internal conditions can only be classified with difficulty from the outside. What is striking about the Gambino family is the higher violent death rate of the bosses, especially in contrast to the Genovese family or the Chicago outfit .

Period	Surname	Nickname	Lifetime	Cause of death	annotation
???? - 1907	Enrico Alfano	Erricone	1869 / 70–?		Expelled in 1907
1907-1919	Pellegrino Morano	Don Grino	1877 - ????		Expelled in 1919
1916-1928	Salvatore D'Aquila	Toto D'Aquila	1878-1928	shot dead on October 28, 1928	Client: Joe Masseria
1928-1930	Alfred Manfredi Mineo	Al Mineo	1880-1930	shot dead on November 5, 1930	Client: Salvatore Maranzano
1930-1931	Francesco Scalice	Frank	1893-1957	shot dead on June 17, 1957	deposed after the murder of Capo di tutti i capi Salvatore Maranzano
1931-1951	Vincent Mangano	The Executioner	1888-1951	apparently became the victim of a Lupara Bianca	disappeared in April 1951
1951-1957	Albert Anastasia	Mad Hatter	1902-1957	shot dead on October 25, 1957	Boss of Murder, Inc.
1957-1976	Carlo Gambino	Don Carlo	1902-1976	natural death
1976-1985	Constantino Paul Castellano	Big Paul	1915-1985	shot dead on Dec. 16, 1985	Client: John Gotti
1985-2002	John Gotti	Teflon don	1940-2002	Throat cancer	Imprisoned 1992–2002
2002-2011	Peter Gotti	One Eyed Pete, Petey Boy	* 1939		Brother of John Gotti; detained since 2003
2011-2015	Domenico Cefalu	Italian cathedral	* 1947		Resigned in 2015
2015-2019	Francesco Paolo Augusto Calì	Frank	1965-2019	shot dead on March 13, 2019

Acting Boss:

• 1974–1976: Constantino "Big Paul" Castellano; became boss in 1976
• 1992–1999: John Angelo "Junior Gotti" Gotti III (* 1964); Son of John Gotti; Imprisoned 1999–2005
• 1999–2002: Peter “Petey Boy” Gotti; became boss in 2002
• 2002–2005: Arnold Ezekiel "Squiggy" Squitieri (* 1936); Imprisoned 2005–2012
• 2005–2008: Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo (* 1940); detained since 2008

Street Boss (Front Boss):

• 1991–1992: (Committee) - John Angelo “Junior Gotti” Gotti III, James “Jimmy Brown” Failla (1919–1999), Nicholas “Little Nick” Corozzo (* 1940), John “Jackie Nose” D'Amico (* 1937), Louis "Big Louie" Vallario (* 1942), Peter "Petey Boy" Gotti
• 1992–1993: (Committee) - "Junior Gotti" Gotti III, "Jimmy Brown" Failla, "Jackie Nose" D'Amico, "Big Louie" Vallario, "Petey Boy" Gotti
• 1993–1994: (Committee) - "Junior Gotti" Gotti III, "Little Nick" Corozzo, "Jackie Nose" D'Amico, "Big Louie" Vallario, "Petey Boy" Gotti
• 1994–1996: (Committee) - "Little Nick" Corozzo, "Jackie Nose" D'Amico, "Big Louie" Vallario, "Petey Boy" Gotti
• 1996–1999: (Committee) - "Jackie Nose" D'Amico, "Big Louie" Vallario, "Petey Boy" Gotti
• 1999-2005: (committee) - Daniel Marino (* 1940); Imprisoned 2011–2014, Bartolomeo “Bobby Glasses” Vernace (* 1950); imprisoned since 2011, Giovanni "John" Gambino (1940-2017)
• 2005–2011: John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico

Underboss of the family

The underboss is number two in the criminal family, he is the deputy director of the syndicate. He gathers information for the boss, gives orders and instructions to the subordinates. In the absence of the boss, he leads the criminal group.

Period	Surname	Nickname	Lifetime	Cause of death	annotation
1928-1930	Steve Ferrigno	Steve	1900-1930	shot dead on November 5, 1930	Client: Salvatore Maranzano
1930-1951	Albert Anastasia	Mad Hatter	1902-1957	shot dead on October 25, 1957	became boss in 1951
1951-1957	Francesco Scalice	Frank	1893-1957	shot dead on June 17, 1957	Client: Albert Anastasia; Perpetrator: James Squillante
1957-1965	Joseph Biondo	Joe Banty	1897-1966	natural death	Deposed by Carlo Gambino
1965-1985	Aniello John Dellacroce	Mr. Neil	1914-1985	natural death	Imprisoned 1973–1975
1985-1985	Thomas Bilotti		1940-1985	shot dead on Dec. 16, 1985	Client: John Gotti
1985-1986	Frank DeCicco	Frankie D	1935-1986	murdered on April 13, 1986	Client: Vincent Louis Gigante
1986-1990	Joseph Armone	Joe Piney	1917-1992	natural death	became consigliere in 1989; Detained 1988–1992
1990-1991	Salvatore Gravano	Sammy the Bull	1945-today		1991 Pentito
1991-1999	John Angelo Gotti III	Junior Gotti	1964-today		at the same time 1992–1999 acting boss; Imprisoned 1999–2009
1999-2012	Arnold Ezekiel Squitieri	Squiggy	1936 – today		was acting boss from 2002-2005; Imprisoned 2005–2012
2012-2015	Frank Cali	Franky Boy	1965-2019	shot dead on March 13, 2019	became boss in 2015

Acting underboss

• 1974–1975: James "Jimmy Brown" Failla; after "Mr. Neil “Dellacroce's dismissal suspended
• 2002–2005: Anthony "Tony Connecticut" Megale ; 1953-2015; Imprisoned 2005–2014
• 2005–2011: Domenico “Italian Dom” Cefalu; became boss in 2011

Consigliere of the family

At the same level as the underboss is the consigliere , the advisor to the criminal family. It is usually an older member of the family who has not reached the position of boss in his criminal career and has now partially withdrawn from active criminal activity. He advises the boss and the underboss, giving him considerable influence and power.

Period	Surname	Nickname	Lifetime	Cause of death	annotation
1928-1931	Giuseppe Triana				deposed after the murder of Salvatore Maranzano
1931-1951	Philip Mangano	Phil	1898-1951	shot dead in April 1951	Brother of Vincent Mangano, who disappeared in April 1951
1951-1957	Joseph Biondo	Joe Banty	1897-1966	natural death	became underboss in 1957
1957-1967	Joseph S. Riccobono	Staten Island Joe	1884-1975
1967-1987	Giuseppe "Joseph" Nicholas Gallo, Jr.	Joe	1912-1995	natural death	Detained 1988–1995
1987-1989	Salvatore Gravano	Sammy the Bull	1945-today		1990 Underboss; 1991 Pentito
1989-1992	Joseph Armone	Joe Piney	1917-1992	natural death	Detained 1988–1992
1992 – today	Joseph Corozzo, Sr.	Jo Jo	1942 – today		Brother of Nicholas Corozzo; Imprisoned 2008-2016

Films and documentaries

• 1990: Good Fellas - Three decades in the Mafia : "Billy Batts" played by Frank Vincent is Gambino member William DeVino.
• 1991: The Real Bosses - A Devilish Empire : Film about the War of Castellammare, the founding of the Five Families and the National Crime Syndicate .
• 1996: The kiss of death of the Cosa Nostra (OT: "Iron Rules" or. "Gotti: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Mafia Don") : TV production about John Gotti and the power struggles in the Gambino family
• 1998: The Mob - The Godfather of Manhattan (OT: Witness to the Mob) : The film tells the mafia career of the gangster Sammy Gravano, in the Gambino family and his relationship with John Gotti.
• 2001: The Godfather of New York (OT: Boss of Bosses) : Film about the career of Paul Castellano.
• 2007: The Boss of the Bosses (OT: Il capo dei capi) : 6-part series about the Cosa Nostra , in which John Gambino travels to Sicily at the end of the fourth episode to end the second great Mafia war there.
• 2010: Sinatra Club - The Gangster's Club : Low-budget film about the young John Gotti, who tries to unite the five families who are currently at war in a joint attack.
• 2011: Bulletproof Gangster : Film about the life of Danny Greene and his conflicts with the Mafia in Cleveland and the Gambino family.
• 2012: The Iceman : Film about the mafia killer Richard Kuklinski (nickname "The Iceman"), who carries out murder assignments on behalf of Gambino member Roy DeMeo (played by Ray Liotta).
• 2014: In the Mafia Network - The FBI's secret files : British 13-part documentary series (Episode 4: The media star: John Gotti / Episode 11: The serial killer: Roy Demeo)
• 2014: Rob the Mob - Mafia robbery for beginners : True story about a young couple who raided Mafia clubs during the great John Gotti Trial.
• 2017: The Life and Death of John Gotti ; Planned film about the life of the notorious Mafioso John Gotti during his rise and fall in the ranks of the Gambino family.

Web links

• The Gambino family on crimelibrary.com (English)
• The Gambino Crime Family on ganglandnews.com (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Arrigo Petacco : Joe Petrosino. L'uomo che sfidò per primo la mafia . Mondadori 2001, ISBN 88-04-49390-9
2. ↑ John Dickie: Cosa Nostra. The history of the mafia . Fischer Verlag Frankfurt a. M. 2006; ISBN 978-3-596-17106-4 ; P. 236
3. ↑ FAZ article; Large-scale police operation: 81 Mafiosi captured
4. ↑ Mafia, 90 Arresti tra Palermo e Stati Uniti of 8 February 2008 on www.corriere.it (Italian)
5. ↑ ^{a b} Mafia boss keeps secrets of the "Pizza Connection" ( memento from May 23, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) on www.tagesanzeiger.ch from May 22, 2009
6. ↑ Decine di arresti a Palermo e New York Presi i boss del nuovo patto Italia-Usa by ATTILIO BOLZONI on www.repubblica.it (Italian)
7. ↑ ^{a b} Strike against "Pizza-Connection"  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on www.orf.at from July 24, 2009