It wasn't until I was twelve years old that I knew for certain that my father was a gangster. } When they were alone, Scarpa sincerely thanked Sammy for giving him a break. my father would say. Ferrara isnt cited a lot on this sub, but by all accounts he was one tough dude himself. He was 74. His son was also imprisoned for nine years for his role in the drug ring. You must be logged in to reply to this topic. He became a made member of the Gambino family in 1994. [1], Gravano arranged to have Mormando murdered on his way to a meeting at Gravanos Bensonhurst restaurant, Talis. Gravano married Debra Scibetta in 1971; they had two children. His invlovement in construction grew and his capo Aurello told Gravano to take all construction dealings directly to the boss. Gravano played a key role in planning and executing Castellanos murder; other conspirators included John Gotti, Angelo Ruggiero, Frank DeCicco, and Joseph Armone. Don't you have an account? Along with Milito, Gravano hunted down the leader, wounding him and killing another member of the gang. Toddo Aurello - GangsterBB.NET Forums for Mafia Movies & More I believe he is the older man in a white rain coat 3:07 mark talking to the tall Joe Butch Corrao and walking behind Frank DeCiccio. Now I saw his head jerk back, his body convulse and slip sideways. Not only did I like him, I went back with his father, who was originally with me. Well be the power behind the throne. Lived in Valley . 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. Carmine Persico and the Colombos trusted the young hood to pull off the biggest hit in the mafia. [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. [1], The Genoveses made good on their veiled threat in April 1986, when DeCicco was killed by a car bomb outside of Castellanos former social club in Bensonhurst, then operated by Gambino capo James Failla. John Gotti received a sentence of life imprisonment. Sammy knew that this just changed from a high risk hit to a suicide situation. On the night of the meeting, Gotti, Gravano, and LoCascio were arrested by the FBI. A percentage of the money was kicked upstairs to the Family bosses who protected him. Gravano pleaded guilty to a superseding racketeering charge. Aurello was the son of the late Salvatore (Toddo) Aurello, a cagy Brooklyn capo who sponsored Gravano and his son to be made men. Gravano reportedly made $4,000-a-week from the Plaza Suite alone. Afterwards, he began acting like a cowboy, doing scores without paying Sammy and blowing thousands of dollars on his crack cocaine addiction. I put two and two together and decided if Paul Castellano was a gangster, my father must be one, too. On weekends, my father would sometimes take me with him to "the club" in Bensonhurst. His reasoning was that he wanted Louie to die honorably. Most people on both sides of the law would give a lot to have a second chance like Sammy especially those who had done so much bad but Gravano thought nothing of it and wasn't satisfied. I know Sammy was serving as Acting captain under Toddo Aurello; Sammy was big into construction rackets; Is this how he became close to Paul Castellano by being a liaison to Aurello and Castellano?? Despite his loyalty to the Gravanoi crew, Nickys drug habit got him put in exile. Together they ruled the Arizona drugtrade. Id like to know too. Michael Franzese and his wife, youngest daughter and son-in-law. [8] Gotti, however, couldnt make the meeting and rescheduled for later that evening at the Ravenite Social Club in Manhattan. Ill tell you something else: Im a fuckin pro. A long period of stability and prosperity would be enjoyed by this Family for the next 18 years until Gambinos death in 1975. All of this irritated Gravano, but the last straw came when Fiala moved into Sammys private office and began breaking through an office wall. On February 24, 2003, New Jersey state prosecutors announced they would pursue murder charges against Gravano for allegedly ordering the hit by notorious killer Richard Kuklinski on decorated NYPD detective Peter Calabro on the night of March 14, 1980. Anybody who was anybody lived on "The Hill.". At Gottis suggestion, the shooters wore long white trench coats and black fur Russian hats, which Gravano considered a brilliant idea. This meant an automatic death penalty. Paul Agresta was a Connecticut-based Gambino soldier who had been a formally inducted member of the "Honored Society" before coming Thomas (Tommy the Enforcer Altamura moved his bookmaking and shylock operations for the Gambino Family to Miami before meeting an Toddo Aurello was a low-key Gambino Family capo involved in a notorious underworld event and a mentor to Sammy Gravano. https://youtu.be/0ENOJKAQMto?t=4 1 ACDeathMD 2 yr. ago Very cool, never seen a photo of him before. The club looked like a big kitchen, with tables and chairs set out around the room and a few pictures, mostly scenes of Italy, hanging on the walls. Eventually, Gravano and several other members of the Gambino family became disenchanted with Gottis lust for the media and high profile antics, feeling they brought too much heat. As the years go on Gravano moves towards becoming acting capo of Toddo Aurello's crew. Rava was so popular and tough Carlo needed him gone to be comfy on his throne. Johnson had been a childhood friend of Gottis and a longtime crew member while Gotti was captain of the Bergin crew. He was the triggerman along with Stymies son Joey DAngelo in the murder of Eddie The Chink Garofalo. After being acquitted of the shooting of union official John OConnor, Gotti received word from a mole that indictments were coming down for Gotti, Gravano, LoCascio, and captain Thomas Gambino. In one interview with Howard Blum, Gravano boasted: They send a hit team down, Ill kill them. Kooky-Worldliness980 6 mo. [1] Milito stood over the body and fired a shot into each of Fialas eyes as Fialas entourage and the crowd of people on the street dispersed, screaming. Her mother had just gone inside to make us some lemonade when my new friend made a startling announcement. Scibetta, the brother of Gravanos wife, had developed an alcohol problem and soon started using cocaine. Carlo Gambino's ascension to the position of Boss was opposed by a powerful Albert Anastasia loyalist called Armand "Tommy" Rava.Rava along with Neil Dellacr. } [1] A sit-down with Castellano was held, at which an irate Gravano accused DiBono of withholding $200,000 in payments for subcontracts and threatened to kill him right then and there. I dont. Gotti was supposed to be killed as well but didn't attend the meeting and so only DeCicco was blown up. Then, as Gotti grew increasingly impatient, Conte explained that the problem now was trying to corner DiBono again. For all practical purposes, no concrete could be poured for any project worth more than $2 million without Mafia approval. Aurello put Gravano up for membership in 1975 and when Aurello stepped down during the Gotti years, Gravano replaced him as capo. It was an enormous monster of a house, unlike any other in the neighborhood. Milito made the mistake of telling other crew members that it was he who should have been given the top spot in Gravanos crew after Gravanos promotion, and not Vallario. It's how he addressed everyone, even me. Guido was shot to death on Lexington Avenue near East 27th street on March 16, 1977. Gravano decided he couldnt take a chance because Mormando knew too much and he got permission from Gotti to kill Mormando. A close childhood friend of John Gottis, DeCicco was made underboss in December of 1985 after his involvement in the successful murder plot of the Gambino familys then boss, Paul Castellano. Despite his fathers attempts to dissuade him, like many of his Ramper colleagues, Gravano drifted into the Cosa Nostra. Dori's grandfather was a big player in the Gambino crime family. Many members of the family, according to Gravano, complained to him about Gottis use of Gravano in murders despite Gravanos position as underboss of the family. They are generally listed in alphabetical order. The son of Joseph Stymie DAngelo, Little Joey grew up in the world of the Gambino family. Nicholas Scibetta, also known as "Little Nicky" (died 1978), was a Sicilian American mobster [1] who was the nephew of Joseph and John Zicarelli, the brother-in-law of mobster Sammy Gravano [2] and uncle of Gerard Gravano, who was a Gambino crime family mob associate who was later marked as an informant by fellow crime family . Gravanos murder of Colucci won him the respect and approval of Persico. Salvatore Gravano was born in 1945 to Giorlando (Gerry) and Caterina (Kay) Gravano. Aurello put Gravano up for membership in 1975 and when Aurello stepped down during the Gotti years, Gravano replaced him as capo. Carlo Gambino was arguably the most powerful boss of the Five New York Crime Families. How Scibetta was killed, as well as the exact extent of Gravanos involvement, remains unknown. [1], FBI surveillance photograph of Gravano, Gotti, Amuso and Casso. The conspirators first order of business was meeting with other Gambino members, most of whom were disaffected under Castellano, and gaining their support for the hit. [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. spiders. The over/under on comments before we got the first Alite joke was 6.5. Frank "Sleepy" Barcellona. [2] Castellano had a particular interest in the construction business. Castellano knew this but didn't care and chose to ignore it. He's doing good but he too sees that all is not well in the Gambino Family. From city to city and state to state, Button Guys of The New York Mafia breaks down the history of organized crime in America. Toddo Aurello was a highly respected - Cosa Nostra History | Facebook Rare pic of Salvatore 'Toddo' Aurello, Gambino captain 1969-1986 Gravano then instructed the infamous crew member Joseph Old Man Paruta to kill Mormando. MafiaHitters.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Should rap lyrics be used as evidence in court? John Gottis lawyers brought accusations that Gravano had been involved in the murders of two other individuals not disclosed to the FBI. Originally a mobster for the Colombo crime family, and later for the Brooklyn faction of the Gambinos, he participated in a conspiracy within the family to murder Gambino boss Paul Castellano. Salvatore Gravano was born on March 12, 1945. The hit put John Gotti in the position of boss and Gravano close to the power. It was strange. Joey flipped in 2004 and helped the FBI make cases on over 40 Gambino family members and associates. Zappi was involved in many mob rackets including labor unions, rib joints, drive-in movie theaters, and more. 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. Over the years, there was nothing I couldn't ask of him. E-mail me when people leave their comments , Sammy the Bull: Profile of Gambino crime family underboss Salvatore Gravano, How The Hells Angels Actually Works | How Crime Works | Insider, Bonannos go to war in New York: Shooting in Long Island tied to Mikey Nose and Joe C. beef, Watermelons, submarines & sex toys: The craziest ways cartels traffic drugs, How China Is Fuelling America's Drug Epidemic. That was my only involvement, Gravano explained. She lived so close to school, we could see the playground from her yard. [1] By this time, Gravano was regarded as a rising force in the construction industry and often mingled with executives from major construction firms and union officials at his popular Bensonhurst restaurant, Talis. Even if they win, there might be surprises.. Sammy got permission and had him made on his death bed. On February 9, 1990 Gotti was acquitted. Even if I wasnt directly behind him, I felt invisible. So keep your peepers peeled, ok folks. Sammy had his doubts about Nicky from the start but still let him in the crew. I know Toddo was involved in the murder of Rava but that's it. But when Gotti was trying to let Gravano take the fall by claiming Gravano had run wild and started whacking people on his own accord Gravano decided to break Omerta and flip. Rava was one tough dude, he was so adored by Dellacroce that Neil named his son after him the same way Sammy Bull named his son after Gerard Papa. [11] The charges were later dropped however, when Kuklinski, the star witness, died of a heart attack in prison before he could testify. However, by the time he was 13, he had joined the Rampers, a prominent gang in the area. Philip "Joey Cello" Bacino. This would be Gravano's first murder 18 would follow on his road to Mafia history. Mom was in the kitchen, and I was amusing myself by hiding some of my favorite books under their bed. He had obviously been bullshitting John. It was Sunday and Dad had us all packed into the car for an afternoon of house hunting. We should have it posted up for your reading enjoyment a bit later today. He wanted me to get a superior education and had me enrolled at the prestigious Staten Island Academy. According to another document I read, Ravas crew was split between Neil and Petey Pumps Ferrara. Never stopped stealing. Joe and his wife and kids would stay upstairs. Louie Milito, Gravanos old buddy from his childhood days with the Rampers, was not pleased with this decision. Joseph "Old Man" Paruta was one of Gravano's original Bensonhurst crew that he had inherited from Toddo. I think Gravano said, in "Underboss," that Aurello was his first mentor. Albert Anastasia, a Calabrian and Mangano underboss, would rise to power and rule with an iron fist until his infamous execution in the barbers chair in 1957, at which timeCarlo Gambinocame to power. Gravano was well aware of Scarpas fierce reputation. Lived at 185 West Houston Street. After Caponigro was tortured and killed, Philip Testa was installed as boss and Nicky Scarfo as consigliere. Gravano employed his favorite hitman Old Man Paruta, who killed Nicky Cowboy in January 1985. 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. His wife and daughter (Karen Gravano) were also charged but were not imprisoned. The boss at the time was Paul Castellano and Castellano always had more interest in construction this puts Sammy in a nice place. I didnt see any blood. You going to blow me away now? I didn't know why he addressed people as Bo, not Bro. He hammed it up a bit by telling him that his coffee boy was on six murders. Gravano became a particular favorite of family boss Joe Colombo, who used Gravano to picket the FBI as part of his Italian-American Civil Rights League initiative. Militos body has never been found. Roy responded by telling him how he was fantasizing about how quickly he could kill everyone in the restaurant. Gravano then became a part of the Gambino family in order to avoid conflict with Colombo mobster Ralph Spero. on: function(evt, cb) { Apr 2, 2016 - Salvatore 'Toddo' Aurello (1914-1998). His testimony drew a wave of Cosa Nostra members to become informants. But there's nothing I can do about Mike. I allow this website to collect and store submitted data. Around the age of ten, his bicycle was stolen by a group of older bullies. The Genovese family, however, was still upset that Gotti had proceeded without the full sanctioning of The Commission and cryptically announced that a Mafia rule had been broken, for which somebody would have to pay if and when The Commission, which was in disarray at the time due to the Mafia Commission Trial, met again. But he's got a big edge with me. On Feb. 24, 2000, Gravano, his wife, son, daughter, and son-in-law were arrested on drug charges by Arizona authorities. . In 2000, Gravano was implicated in an international ecstasy ring. The American mafia website did an amazing story years ago about two Gambino informants during that era. He appeared on live TV after having had plastic surgery to hide his appearance from the mob. After Ravas murder in late 1957, the crew split between Neil Dellacroce and Anthony Rizzo. 470. Eventually, Gotti would name Gravano his underboss, and move LoCascio to consigliere. Sammy knew about many of DeMeos victims including Frank Amato, who was dating Paul Castellanos daughter until he fell out with Big Paul. Not sure when Toddo was made. Gravanos robbery spree impressed Aurello, who proposed him for membership in the Gambino family. Salvatore 'Toddo' Aurello b1914-d1998. Also Paul used Sammy to eliminate Johnny Keys Simone in 1980. In June, Gravano was approached by Ruggiero and, supposedly at Gottis behest, given orders to murder capo Robert DiBernardo for making negative remarks about Gottis leadership. Once when he had a fight with two older kids there were two neighborhood wiseguys standing near observing the fight. He became very unpredictable. As Louie and Nino carried the conversation, Roys attention seemed elsewhere. Gravano chose the army thinking he wouldn't be drafted. The Aurello crew supervised the Gambino familys control over Teamsters Local 282, which had jurisdiction over building materials to all construction sites in the city. Gravano was released early and then entered the U.S. federal Witness Protection Program, but he left it in 1995 and relocated to Arizona. Toddo Aurello was a highly respected but elusive Gambino family capo. You fucking cocksucker, I thought. When Sammy became consigliere in 1986, his old crew was taken over by Louis Vallario. "I want you to sit and learn." When the visitor came in, he said he was having a "beef" with another associate and explained why. The average age of an Aurello family member is 79. My mother would walk me to school every day. Plus a bonus mini bio on his son Joseph Neil Dellacroce may have been given the name of a "lamb", but he would grow up to be one of Paulo (Paul) Gambino was the boss's brother in involved in many key rackets and businesses. Ten months went by. Gravano, now 23, had proven his 'skills' and 'balls' and was ready for the next phase of his career. All Rights Reserved. After waiting outside the building, he saw Gallo with his model girlfriend. Salvatore (Little Toddo) Avarello died in 1998. My teacher overheard me and went directly to my mother. The Gambino Crime Family is one of the Five Families of organized crime in America. My idea of a gangster was Vito Corleone, the fictional mob boss in The Godfather. Gravano hid out in various places on the east coast for two weeks before being ordered to return for a meeting at the Ravenite Social club in Little Italy. Whenever a meeting with him was arranged, DiBono never appeared. Gigante boss of the Genoveses was a friend of Castellano and didn't like the new boss. Sammy told the entire Colombo hierarchy that when he found Stymies killer, he would kill him and whoever was with him on the spot. He ain't listening. Despite his fathers attempts to dissuade him, Sammy, like many of his Ramper colleagues, drifted into the Mafia. Ferrara isn't cited a lot on this sub, but by all accounts he was . In 2007, Eddie was sentenced to 30 years, but died in prison in September of 2020. He has been on the run for 30 yrs for the murders of Prosecutors Giovani Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. Presumably why did Toddo Aurello and Armand Rava hate each other It was at this time that Sammy was transferred to the Gambino Family crew run by Toddo Aurello. Sammy was close to Paul and Im sure their mural interest in construction was a big part of it. According to Gravano, Mormando started to act like a renegade berserk.[1] The final straw came when Mormando announced he no longer wanted to be in the crew and planned to start his own gang. The Colombo associate who killed him was drunk and high, and out celebrating the fact he was about to be made. Stymie died honorably, protecting the female bartender (who was the widow of a made man in the Genovese family) who was being harassed by the bastard. That restaurant was the one used in The Irishman (it's where Sheeran meets Bufalino). Gravano wrote a book called Underboss with author Peter Maas, which became the target of the families of his victims, who filed a $25 million dollar lawsuit against him for damages. As time past Gravano got more violent, he was involved in a shoot out and not long after that was arrested for assaulting an oficer. It wasn't until I was twelve years old that I knew for certain that my father was a gangster. MafiaHitters.com gets compensated for referring traffic and business to Amazon. Salvatore (Toddo) Aurello, sometimes spelled Avarello, was an extremely low key guy. He asked for tape transcripts of Ruggieros conversations and was stalled for as long as they could stall him.