He was released early, in September of 2017. Gravanos first choice to become boss after Castellanos murder was Frank DeCicco, but DeCicco felt John Gottis ego was too big to take a subservient role. I can't fill Stymie's shoes, or Paruta's. Castellano had informed Milito that Gravano should have been killed after the unsanctioned murder of Frank Fiala as well as after Gravano threatened fellow made man Louie DiBono. After serving minimal time for 19 murders Gravano was released and went into the Witnes Protection Program and started his new life in Arizona. He opened a club of his own in Bensonhurst and started a loan sharking business soon after. From city to city and state to state, Button Guys of The New York Mafia breaks down the history of organized crime in America. He got a second life. Johnson would never be allowed to participate in mob matters again, however. Not only did I like him, I went back with his father, who was originally with me. By and large only those in the local underworld knew him, or knew of him. I was furious about leaving my friends and worried that I wouldn't fit in with the kids at private school. After Aurellos death, the crew was controlled by Frank DeCicco, and Gravano was made the point-man in the all-powerful Teamsters Local 282 rackets, working closely with successive union bosses John Cody and Robert Sasso (both of whom would be sent to prison for labor racketeering). Sammy at the time was a Colombo associate in the crew of Shorty Spero. He began stealing when he was only 7 or 8 and would take two cupcakes from a corner store in Bensonhurst every day on his way to school. Upon Colombo associate Shorty Speros suggestion and to avoid further conflict, Gravano moved from the Colombo family to the Gambino family and joined Salvatore Toddo Aurellos crew. Gravano employed his favorite hitman Old Man Paruta, who killed Nicky Cowboy in January 1985. He started driving Sammy around after his father was killed in a Brooklyn bar. Sammy believed that he lacked a killers insticts and was unfit to become a Mafia soldier, so he utilized him as bodyguard and chauffeur. Her mother had just gone inside to make us some lemonade when my new friend made a startling announcement. Gravano later learned that Ruggiero was $250,000 in debt to DiBernardo and realized Ruggiero may have fabricated the orders from Gotti or simply lied to Gotti about what DiBernardo was accused of saying in order to erase the debt and improve his own standing in the family. Gravano had paid a juror in Gottis second trial to vote in favor of an acquittal allowing Gotti to beat the RICO charges lodged against him. Is this true??? Sammy got permission and had him made on his death bed. /r/Mafia features stories, interviews, documentary and news articles about organized crime around the world. Gravano quickly acquired tremendous clout in the construction and trucking industries. Joseph "Old Man" Paruta was one of Gravano's original Bensonhurst crew that he had inherited from Toddo. Aurello's story is written, and almost fully designed. Once when he had a fight with two older kids there were two neighborhood wiseguys standing near observing the fight. The conspiracy would elevate Gravanos position in the family to underboss under Gotti, a position he held at the time he turned informer. It's now posted here under its own thread, titled, "Gambino Capo - Toddo Aurello", Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather. The boss at the time was Paul Castellano and Castellano always had more interest in construction this puts Sammy in a nice place. [7] As the hat-and-trench-coat-adorned men slipped away into the night, Gotti calmly drove the car past the front of the restaurant to get a look at the scene. http://mafiahistory.us/rattrap/gambinoinf.html. Through witness intimidation, he was acquitted. His head didnt seem to move. Read about Karen Gravano's interview with "20/20", Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He would testify against Gotti and send him to prison for life. Carlo Gambino was arguably the most powerful boss of the Five New York Crime Families. And he's done work (murder) with us and our family. Terms of Service, 2023Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org But these guys listed below reported to Dellacroce (there may have been others but these are the ones I know about): Very accurate and informative list CNote. After Castellanos death, a meeting of the Gambino familys capos was held, at which Frank DeCicco nominated Gotti to be the new boss. Linda also wrote that a friend saw Gravano driving Louie Militos Lincoln and was able to identify it by damage done to the car before Louie Milito went missing. Mobsters - Naming Schemes As time passed Gravano became more successful in his legitimate businesses, he could sense some jealousy from John Gotti, despite the fact that Sammy claimed he was kicking up $2 million a year to him from his dealings with the Teamsters alone. Sammy Gravano - Wikipedia Gravano described the reasons for the murder in Underboss: He was still robbing the family and I asked for permission to take him out. on: function(evt, cb) { { Gene Gotti, John Carneglia, Louie Valario and Arnold Squitieri were present at the meeting, as was Gravano. In conversation with DeCicco, both men voiced concern that Castellano would designate his nephew, Thomas Gambino, acting boss and his driver, Thomas Bilotti, underboss in the event he was convicted and sent to prison. Milito had been put back on Sammys old crew which was now run by Big Lou Vallario. In Underboss Gravano claims that Gotti met with Johnson during the trial and informed Johnson that as long as he never testified against Gotti, he and his family would not be harmed. All Rights Reserved. When Gravano heard the tapes where Gotti was badmouthing him Gravano flipped for 50% he was almost sure he was going to turn to the FBI but he was having second thoughts. He ain't listening. He had obviously been bullshitting John. He wanted me to get a superior education and had me enrolled at the prestigious Staten Island Academy. Despite his fathers attempts to dissuade him, like many of his Ramper colleagues, Gravano drifted into the Cosa Nostra. We were on one of our Sunday expeditions when Dad pointed it out to us. Charlie Brush Dongarra was an original member of the old Mangano Family who eventually turned over his crew to Joseph Carmine Fatico was a member of the Gambino Family who was active in truck hijacking and worked with an up-and-comer Daniel (Danny Wagons) Fatico was a Gambino Family mobster who raked up nearly three dozen arrests on a yellow sheet Frank (the Wop) Gagliardi was a serious Gambino Family soldier who navigated turbulent underworld waters for over five decades. First, his quick rise up the Gambino hierarchy attracted the attention of the FBI, and he was soon placed under surveillance. Lived at 185 West Houston Street. James "Jimmy the Duke" Basile. [2] Looking down at Bilottis body from the passenger window, Gravano remarked, Hes gone.[7]. [2] Gravano arrived to find only Ruggiero was present. Those rumors later proved to be true. I'd have to wait to learn this angle of the business. The Mafias control over the citys construction industry was so absolute that it had effective veto power over all major construction projects in the city. I felt like I was a million miles away, like this was all a dream. I didnt hear the first shot. Everybody called Joe the 'Old Man'. His father ran a small dress factory and could sustain a good standard of living for the family. Gravano went into the construction business and did pretty good until he was indicted for murder. Overnight the Dapper Don had become the Teflon Don, and his ego would grow even bigger. "My mother and father say a big gangster lives in that house," she said, pointing across the street to the Castellano estate. [10] Lynda said Gravano gave her $5,000 and cut all ties to her. Witness to the Mob - Wikiwand He was 74 years old. The Commission summoned Caponigro to New York, where it sentenced him to death for his transgression. So when John called Louie in for meetings to discuss their new partnership, DiBono didnt show up. Despite his loyalty to the Gravanoi crew, Nickys drug habit got him put in exile. Sammy and notorious Colombo Family hitman Greg Scarpa aka The Grim Reaper crossed paths many times over the years as they rose in their respective families. Gravano, now 23, had proven his 'skills' and 'balls' and was ready for the next phase of his career. As part of Gravanos cooperation agreement, he would never be forced to testify against his former crew, which included Louis Vallario, Michael DiLeonardo, Frank Fappiano, Edward Garafola, Thomas Carbonaro, Joseph DeAngelo and many other career criminals and wiseguys. In January 1990 Gotti went to trial for ordering an assault on carpenters union boss John OConnor. Other popular Cosa Nostra figures discussed in this video are Joe the Boss Masseria, Lucky Luciano, and Giuseppe \"Pete\" Morello. One of the more active Gambino hoodlums to operate in New Yorks Little Italy area was Tony West DeLutro who Robert DiBernardo was a major player in the pornography industry who was set up for the "kill" by Sammy Gravano. Despite his fathers attempts to dissuade him, Sammy, like many of his Ramper colleagues, drifted into the Mafia. Gravano began living very openly in Scottsdale, giving interviews to magazines and appearing in an interview with Diane Sawyer. Stymie was gunned down at Talis, a bar that my father and Stymie owned together. We should have it posted up for your reading enjoyment a bit later today. He turned to the FBI and told them all they wanted to know. John Gottis lawyers brought accusations that Gravano had been involved in the murders of two other individuals not disclosed to the FBI. When I was six, I found a gun in my parents' bedroom in our apartment on Sixty-first Street in Bensonhurst. I knew my father had served in the army during the Vietnam War because I'd seen his dog tags. Sammy asked Roy if he was bored. They lived in Bensonhurst, a largely Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn. Gravano was drafted into the United States Army in 1964. Gambino Family capo Ettore Zappi was a longtime, close friend and associate of Family boss Carlo Gambino. When Castellano and Bilotti were murdered, Milito was in prison. Gotti was recognized as the Gambino familys boss and a member of The Commission by each of the other Five Families, including the Genovese family, whose approval for the hit on Castellano had been deliberately bypassed by Gotti and his co-conspirators. Linda Milito claimed in her book Mafia Wife she had heard Gravano had smothered an elderly woman to death during a robbery gone wrong and that she was informed by Gravanos former crew members that Gravano had shot her husband Louie Milito twice in the back of the head and once under the chin, contradicting Gravanos former statements that he had simply been standing by the night Milito was shot. Some of his friends were bouncers. [11] The charges were later dropped however, when Kuklinski, the star witness, died of a heart attack in prison before he could testify. They dressed the same, too, in similar sweat suits and sneakers. This doesnt belong to you till the closing. Salvatore Aurello (1914 - 1998) - Brooklyn, NY - AncientFaces In his book Gravano details the hit: "As that Beatles song played, I became a killer. Button Guys of The New York Mafia. Yes Sammy was in a good position having Toddo as a mentor and a good relationship with Paul. Get the hell out of here. Fiala reached into a desk drawer, removed an Uzi and aimed it at the two. Gravano did poorly in school due to an undiagnosed case of dyslexia. Gotti chose to fill the vacancy by naming Angelo Ruggiero and Gravano co-underbosses. 180. At this point, while Gotti was actually out of prison for a few years, Gravano was named official consigliere and Frank Locascio named acting underboss of the family this was around 86 87. He came up under Tommy Rava crew, he was close to many members in that crew, such as Neil Dellacroce, Tony Rizzo, Mike Ciazzo, and Petey Pumps. Rare pic of Salvatore "Toddo" aurello former gambino capo Sammy [2] Gravano and Milito were then summoned to a meeting with Castellano at a Manhattan restaurant. "What does Paul do that he has such a big house?". That sounds about right; Pretty sure he was in the age range of Arcuri; Armone; Castellano; And all the old captains. Ten months went by. Congrats to those who had the over. It was at this time that Sammy was transferred to the Gambino Family crew run by Toddo Aurello. Im not afraid. Gambino underboss Neil Dellacroce intervened on Gravanos behalf and Castellano decreed that the matter would be settled by the two mens ending their business partnership, though Gravanos standing with the boss slipped as a result of the incident. Press J to jump to the feed. Louie had been surpassed by Old Man Paruta and Stymie DAngelo as Sammys top crew members. This meant an automatic death penalty. . I was obsessed. Gravano said Gottis underboss Frank DeCicco wanted Louie dead. He sat down in Sammys chair, smirking at the two men. Copyright 2019-2023, Button Guys of The New York Mafia. He began living very openly and appeared in a nationally televised interview with journalist Diane Sawyer. Kooky-Worldliness980 6 mo. Gravano chose the army thinking he wouldn't be drafted. Should rap lyrics be used as evidence in court? With Gottis permission, Gravano set up the murders of Tommy Spero and several other Gambino associates. It was strange. What do you think youre doing? Gravano growled. Sammy later said, Louie Milito was a friend of mine, A friend of ours, but there came a time when Louie, who had helped me in a few hits, had to be hit himself. Milito was called to a meeting to discuss the murder of a Gambino associate. Sammy and Louie were looking for a man named Aldo Candido who was responsible for a recent robbery one at one of Gravano's nightclubs. Michael (Blackie) Galgano was a Gambino Family soldier who once told an informer that Joe Valachi would be killed if Joseph (Joe Scootch) Indelicato was a Gambino Family soldier heavy into gambling before he moved to South Florida hoping to Carmine Lombardozzi was heavily involved in shylocking for the Gambino Family and was once dubbed, "The King of Wall Street.". [3] He is also the brother-in-law of Gambino crime family capo Edward Garafola and Mario Garafola. Confessions of the Underboss | Mafia Hitters . Im not meeting you in Montana on some fuckin farm. Both of his parents were honest hard working Americans but Gravano was going in a different direction. Roy responded by telling him how he was fantasizing about how quickly he could kill everyone in the restaurant. Bisaccia shot Oliverri to death while Gravano waited in a stolen get-away car. Once a top hitman for Sammy, Nicholas Nicky Cowboy Mormando was present for the Fiala hit in 1982. Aurello's job as boss was to adjudicate disputes. After his involvement in the murder of Frank Hydell along with Thomas Carbonaro, he turned government witness. Sammy knew about many of DeMeos victims including Frank Amato, who was dating Paul Castellanos daughter until he fell out with Big Paul. guests, and 3 He would take revenge for his dead ally. Gravano fell into crime at an early age. However, these accusations were never proven. I put two and two together and decided if Paul Castellano was a gangster, my father must be one, too. This would be Gravano's first murder 18 would follow on his road to Mafia history. This was the life.. Around this time, Gravano opened an afterhours club in Bensonhurst. A melee ensued, in which Gravano broke his ankle and the bikers were chased off. Gravanos intentions for this murder would be called into question as it was suspected Gravano might have had different reasons for wanting DiBono dead due to his jealousy over DiBonos drywall business. It's now posted here under its own thread, titled, "Gambino Capo - Toddo Aurello", Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather. [1] Around 5:30, Gravano spotted Castellanos Lincoln Town Car stopped at a nearby intersection and, via walkie talkie, alerted the team of hitmen stationed outside the restaurant of Castellanos approach. He wore sweats and gold chains, and he had tattoos, Jesus on one arm and a rose on the other. [align=center:f8vo7m63][youtube:f8vo7m63]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyzMBM9FSrc[/youtube:f8vo7m63][/align:f8vo7m63]. Gravano even hired a publicist, despite the fact Gravano complained often about the publicity-seeking Gotti. The Family would also prosper under Castellano for another decade until John Gotti shot his way to power with Castellanos infamous gangland hit! Life was great for Gravano, he got away with 19 murders, he got away from Gotti's hitmen and he had his own drug organization which was raking in 100.000s of dollars. [1] Neither man appealed to Gravano or DeCicco as leadership material, and they ultimately decided to support the hit on Castellano.[1]. When Dad found out, he wasn't upset. Gravano further ingratiated himself to Castellano when he interceded in a civil war that had erupted within the Philadelphia crime family. Like his predecessor Carlo Gambino, Castellano favored emphasizing more sophisticated schemes involving construction, trucking, and garbage disposal over traditional street-level activities such as loansharking, gambling, and hijackings. He owned nightclubs and always stayed out late. Castellano had been given the details of what Fiala had done, but he was still livid that Gravano had not come to him for permission to kill Fiala first. [1] In any event, DiBernardos death proved profitable for Gravano, as he took over the deceased mans control of Teamsters Local 282. There was an elaborate security system with surveillance cameras monitoring the perimeter, which seemed to span an entire block. He came up under Tommy Rava crew, he was close to many members in that crew, such as Neil Dellacroce, Tony Rizzo, Mike Ciazzo, and Petey Pumps. John was humiliated. On weekends, my father would sometimes take me with him to "the club" in Bensonhurst. Id like to know too. Read about Karen Gravano's interview with "20/20" and watch the full story on "20/20" Friday at 10 p.m. During an interview Gravano gave to the Arizona Republic, Gravano claimed federal agents he had met after turning states evidence had become his personal friends and stopped by his home when on vacation. Here are some of the most interesting and revealing stories hes told thus far: Gravano has discussed his childhood friend and then crew member Louie Milito many times. After Sammy cooperated, Eddie joined Thomas Carbonaro in plotting his murder, but was unsuccessful due to Sammys arrest in 2000. Ruggiero claimed to have met again with Gotti and told Gravano that the boss wanted DiBernardo killed right away. By and large only those in the local underworld knew him, or knew of him. "Mommy, does Daddy have a gun because he was in the army?". Joseph Old Man Paruta was one of Gravano's original Bensonhurst crew that he had inherited from Toddo. Gravano earned praise from Castellano for the killing. On December 2, 1985 Aniello Dellacroce died. He requested a mercy killing; however, he died of lung cancer before this could happen. But he's got a big edge with me. Louis Saccenti was a member of Toddos original Bensonhurst crew that Sammy inherited. Despite Gravanos rise in status to consigliere, Gotti continued to use Gravano for the task of murder. [1] He was a childhood friend of Colombo crime family associate Gerard Pappa.[1]. The son of Joseph Stymie DAngelo, Little Joey grew up in the world of the Gambino family. He's doing good but he too sees that all is not well in the Gambino Family. My teacher overheard me and went directly to my mother. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, http://mafiahistory.us/rattrap/gambinoinf.html. Fun fact: Armand Rava was the original (best as I could tell) owner of the New Corner Restaurant in Dyker Heights. My idea of a gangster was Vito Corleone, the fictional mob boss in The Godfather. After consultation, the three agreed it was wrong not to tell Gravano. But these guys listed below reported to Dellacroce (there may have been others but these are the ones I know about): Very accurate and informative list CNote. DeCicco was soon killed in a car bomb and Louie was temporarily spared. Gravano claimed in his book Underboss that before the Castellano hit, Milito had become much closer to Castellano and Bilotti. After Oliverri, John Gotti had finally got around to taking care of Wilfred Willie Boy Johnson. He gradually became a close associate of Salvatore 'Toddo' Aurello, who then became his mentor. Back then he had a following like Jesus in LCN rumour has it old Italian granny's used to say a pray to saint sammy every night before they went to bed. Gravano had been consulting a hypnotist named Halpern to deal with fears he had, and Gottis lawyers wanted to call Halpern as a witness, but the judge refused. If you wanted to be succesful in crime you needed to be with a different group: the Mafia. On this particular Sunday, we were cruising around Todt Hill, an upscale community on the southern end of Staten Island, filled with homes owned by doctors, lawyers, and "businessmen.". Michael DeBatt, the son of a late friend of Gravanos, had also become addicted to crack cocaine. Low Key Bookie Who Owes His Button To Sammy Bull, Closes His Sheet Charles (Charlie Boy) Aurello, a little-known wiseguy who was inducted into the Gambino crime family along with Salvatore (Sammy. At school Gravano had enormous trouble with reading and learning the material, it later turned out that he was dyslexic but in those days there was no knowledge about the problem. Im too detached maybe. ); Gravano did not approve of the drug use and demoted Nicky from the crew. He looked peaceful. All trademarks referenced herein are the properties of their respective owners. That was my only involvement, Gravano explained. [2] When Joseph N. Gallo and Armone were convicted on racketeering charges in 1987, Gotti turned to Gravano to help fill the void, promoting him to official consigliere and making Frank Locascio acting underboss. Rumor was Roy killed guys right outside his bar for the mere crimes of calling Roy an asshole or some other insult. The Mafia had been in Bensonhurst for a long time; several wiseguys hung around a bar that Sammy and his father frequently walked by. Everything went in slow motion. According to Sammy Paul was very impressed with how Sammy handled it. You must be logged in to reply to this topic. I felt the rage inside me. Well be the power behind the throne. Salvatore (Toddo) Aurello, sometimes spelled Avarello, was an extremely low key guy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyzMBM9FSrc, Fix for OCX errors for BScriptview6 on a Windows 10 machine. "Hey Bo, what's up?" Whenever a meeting with him was arranged, DiBono never appeared. By the early 1980s, the Plaza Suite was a thriving establishment. The plotters reportedly used a car bomb for the attack in order to divert suspicion. On February 9, 1990 Gotti was acquitted. (function() { I wondered if this was a souvenir from the war. I knew that Paul was Dad's friend. [8] Gotti, however, couldnt make the meeting and rescheduled for later that evening at the Ravenite Social Club in Manhattan. As teenagers, they were members of the infamous New York City street gang called The Rampers. listeners: [], He brought people in to begin remodeling the place and he hired his own bouncers. But the feds had one more case up their sleeve. The judge gave Gravano the choice: enlist with the army or go to prison. Mikey Scars Speaks on Jimmy Calandra, Toddo Aurello, Jimmy Brown When Sammy Gravano switched from the Colombos to the Gambinos, he was placed in Aurellos crew. [2] Nevertheless, Gravano claimed to be kicking up over $2 million each year to Gotti out of his union activities alone. If there was a leak, somebody had to survive and keep playing. One of the biggest hidden gems revealed on Sammys channel was about the time he was tasked with killing none other than Crazy Joe Gallo. The noise was deafening. And so did Dori LaForte. Gravano reportedly made $4,000-a-week from the Plaza Suite alone. In 1982, Frank Fiala, a wealthy businessman and drug trafficker, paid Gravano $40,000 to rent the Plaza Suite for a birthday party he was throwing himself. Two days after the party, Gravano accepted a $1,000,000 offer from Fiala to buy the establishment, which Gravano had only valued at $200,000. He'd ripped apart and remodeled every place we'd ever lived in. At the time, he was the highest ranking member of the Five Families to break his blood oath, and to this day is one of the highest-ranking members of organized crime to turn informer. He was hipper than the other kids' dads. Powered by. Todo Aurello : r/Mafia - reddit Indictments were issued and Gravano, in need of money to pay his legal bills, quit his construction job and went on a self-described robbing rampage for a year and a half. Even if they win, there might be surprises.. One of those times was the unsanctioned murder of Frank Fiala, a very unstable man who tried to buy Sammys nightclub the Plaza Suite. Sammy said, My man of loyalty, of heart and soul, a man of honor, was gone. Aurello quickly took a liking to Sammy, who already had an education in mob life through Persico, and Aurello became Sammys mob mentor. He is perhaps most famous to the outside world because he was Sammy the Bull's mentor. Afterwards, I stayed with them, helped them. He was ready to start an all out war with the Colombos, who at first attempted to stop Sammy from killing the guy. I allow this website to collect and store submitted data. Louie was the triggerman on several of Sammys early murders. After he was read the riot act, Milito returned to Gravanos crew, only to badmouth his old friends choice of Vallario as captain after Gravanos promotion. 3) Toddo died after Gravano cooperated, but none of that hurt his crew, which means it was part of the deal Gravano had made with the FBI. Louie resented taking orders from Vallario and made it known. The conspirators decided not to approach the Genovese family due to boss Vincent The Chin Gigantes long-standing friendship with Castellano.