Paul Castellano
Paul Castellano was a prominent figure in organized crime in the United States, particularly known for his leadership of the Gambino crime family. Born in Brooklyn in 1915 to Sicilian immigrant parents, Castellano grew up in a working-class environment and became involved in criminal activities at a young age, including armed robbery. His marriage into the Gambino family, through his sister-in-law Nina Manno, positioned him within the Mafia's inner circle as his brother-in-law, Carlo Gambino, rose to power. After Gambino's death in 1976, Castellano became the head of the Gambino family, overseeing operations that included labor racketeering and meat distribution.
Despite his initial success, Castellano's leadership style led to tensions within the family, particularly with younger, more street-oriented members like John Gotti. His reign was marked by a shift away from traditional Mafia practices, as he distanced himself from the neighborhoods of his youth and emphasized a more business-oriented approach. Castellano's criminal activities eventually drew the attention of law enforcement, culminating in a major FBI crackdown in 1985. He was assassinated later that year, an event often seen as marking the end of the old guard of organized crime and the rise of a new generation, represented by Gotti. His legacy remains significant in the history of the American Mafia, reflecting both the evolution of organized crime and the impact of law enforcement efforts on its structure.
Subject Terms
Paul Castellano
American Mafia boss
- Born: June 20, 1915
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: December 16, 1985
- Place of death: New York, New York
Cause of notoriety: As head of the Gambino Family, Castellano oversaw labor racketeering and the corruption of businesses and public officials.
Active: 1934-1985
Locale: New York
Early Life
Paul Castellano (kahs-tehl-LAN-oh) was born in Brooklyn in 1915 to Sicilian immigrants. His father was a butcher who sold Italian lottery tickets in their neighborhood. Paul dropped out of school by the eighth grade and began selling lottery tickets and helping his father in the butcher shop. In 1934 the nineteen-year-old Castellano spent three months in jail in Connecticut for armed robbery. In 1937 he married Nina Manno, who was the sister-in-law of Carlo Gambino, a rising Mafia member in the crime “family” of Albert Anastasia. Gambino was married to Castellano’s sister Katharine. As Gambino rose within the New York Mafia, Castellano would assume greater and greater criminal responsibilities. In October, 1957, Anastasia was murdered in a barber’s chair in New York, and Gambino became boss of what became known as the Gambino Family.
Criminal Career
Gambino appeared to be a slight and unassuming man at first sight. He had a fearsome reputation, however, as an underworld figure. During the time of his brother-in-law’s leadership, Castellano’s fortunes grew. His principal assets were his diplomatic ability in the underworld and his success in corrupting legitimate businesses. Castellano’s main interest was the meat business. He and his sons controlled meat distribution concerns and had influence with labor unions. Castellano would force supermarket chains to carry certain brands, and he would “encourage” butcher shops and other outlets to stock his brand and not others. Gambino, as he was dying in 1976, anointed Castellano as his successor.
Castellano became head of the Gambino Family in 1976. The group was already divided between street criminals, such as John Gotti, and businessmen, such as Castellano. As Castellano gained both prominence and wealth, he abandoned the Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods in which he had spent his younger days for a fashionable mansion on Staten Island. He also forbade the members of his Family from becoming involved in the narcotics trade. Over the next several years, tensions between the two factions became more pronounced as Castellano became more isolated. Castellano’s organization was heavily involved in labor racketeering and the corruption of businesses and public officials. The group’s street crew, headed by Aniello Dellacroce (and later John Gotti), carried on traditional criminal activities such as hijacking, loan-sharking, and bookmaking.
Legal Action and Outcome
In 1983 the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) planted an electronic listening device in Castellano’s home. The bug revealed many of the inner workings of the Gambino Family as well as sordid details of Castellano’s personal life. Over the next two years, the FBI gathered evidence against Castellano and several other members of the Gambino Family. Finally, a joint federal task force arrested Castellano and several other members of organized crime’s ruling body, “The Commission.” On February 25, 1985, FBI agents arrested many, if not all, of the major organized crime figures in New York, including Castellano.
Castellano never went to trial for his many alleged crimes. On December 16, 1985, while arriving for dinner at a favorite restaurant, he and his bodyguard were ambushed and killed by unidentified men. Many blamed the murder on Gotti, the leader of the street crew for the Gambinos and representative of the new guard of Mafia leaders.
Impact
The impact of Castellano’s death was greater than that of his life. Paul Castellano represented the last link to the older, more traditional Mafia. His death signaled an end to that tradition and ushered in the era of Gotti, the dapper don. Gotti was a high-profile street thug whose many trials and acquittals were widely covered by the New York media. However, the criminal organization that Gotti inherited was a shell of its former self. The impact of FBI investigations and federal prosecutions destroyed much of the effectiveness of the older criminal organization, and new criminal groups became more powerful over the prevailing years.
Bibliography
Cummings, John, and Ernest Volkman. Gombata: The Improbable Rise and Fall of John Gotti and His Gang. New York: Avon Books, 1990. Chronicles the career of John Gotti, who assumed control of the Gambino Family after Castellano’s death. Shows the deep differences in style and personality between Castellano and Gotti.
Maas, Peter. The Valachi Papers. New York: Putnam’s, 1968. Firsthand account of a small-time Mafia member gives some interesting views of the early period of Mafia organization from the 1930’s to the 1950’s.
O’Brien, Joseph, and Andris Kurins. Boss of Bosses: The FBI and Paul Castellano. New York: Dell, 1991. This book by two FBI agents is a blow-by-blow account of the FBI’s attack on the Gambino Family. Examines both technical and ethical aspects of the case.