The Gambinos Biography

As Benito Mussolini rose to power and promised to rid Sicily of the Mafia, Carlo knew his future lay in America. With the help of his Castellano relatives already in the states, Carlo stowed away aboard a freighter and crossed the Atlantic in November of 1921.

During World War II, Carlo made his first million dollars selling stolen and counterfeit ration stamps. By age 45, Carlo invested in a broad range of businesses, legal and illegal, with the money that he made throughout his criminal career. Carlo owned everything from meat markets, fat rendering plants, and trucking companies, to restaurants, pizza parlors, and even gay bars.

Carlo's trademark was his meek physical demeanour, accented by a hawk's beak nose, and his polite, grandfatherly way. He preferred to work things out with his rivals, but would not hesitate to have someone clipped when they stood in his way.

Law enforcement kept a watchful eye on Carlo Gambino, but were never able to bring about any convictions. One group that was able to put a hurt on Carlo was a group of Irish thugs who kidnapped Carlo's nephew, Manny Gambino and killed him. Carlo put out a contract to take care of Manny's murderers. That contract went to a rising tough guy by the name of John Gotti.

Carlo died of a heart attack on October 15, 1976. He gave explicit orders that his brother-in-law/cousin Paul Castellano take over the family. But this didn't sit well with the crews. Many of them thought that Carlo's loyal under boss Neil Dellacroce should have the top job. The dissension split the family in two. Paul oversaw the white collar crimes such as construction bid-rigging, and Neil supervised the blue-collar street rackets of loan-sharking, gambling, and hi-jacking.

When Paul took over in 1976, he already was a rich man from a number of seemingly legitimate businesses in meat distribution, fat rendering, butcher shops, and construction. To mark his success, in 1979, Paul built a large mansion on Staten Island which became known as the White House because of its resemblance to the President's home in Washington. Inside, Paul would hold court with his trusted Capos.