PAUL `Big Paulie` CASTELLANO

Paul Castellano, Carlo Gambino's cousin was probably the most disliked boss of all. Although Big Paulie was a brilliant businessman, he wasn't really regarded as a tough guy. Many in his family believed that he hadn't paid his dues on the street and therefore should never have become the top man in the largest crime family in America at that time. Because of this Big Paulie became extremely resented by his underlings, in particularly John Gotti. Paul was born in 1915 and was part of a very well regarded family within the Mafia. The Castellano's were respected throughout the underworld in the early 1900's. Paul's father despite having his illegal rackets, owned a butchery, and at the tender age of 13 Paul dropped out of school and began to help his dad in the butchers shop cutting meat, he also helped his father run some his smaller rackets, thus bringing young Paul into the underworld gently.

In 1934, Paul had his first brush with the law. At 19 years of age Paul and two of his friend's bungled an armed robbery. His two friends's managed to escape but Paul wouldn't be as fortunate. He was arrested and questioned for hours. But Paul never ratted out his pals and therefore after serving just three months in jail, Paul returned to his neighbourhood a hero for keeping his mouth shut. Thanks to this and his connections to Carlo Gambino, Paul Castellano was fully inducted into the world of Cosa Nostra. Paul also consolidated his criminal connections by marrying Nina Manno who was Carlo Gambino's sister in-law. Paul stayed very close to his cousin Carlo throughout his criminal career, he was very loyal to Gambino, and Carlo new the importance of having someone who was as capable and as loyal as Paul, also Carlo new that he was a blood relative, family, someone connected to him away from the world of Cosa Nostra.

During the 1950's Paul had a number of legitimate interests, one of which was a wholesale meat factory, to all outward appearances Paul was a respectable businessman, dressing well and driving around in a sleek Buick convertible. But within the Mafia Paul was now a capo and instrumental in setting up the so-called white rackets such as construction bid-rigging, union infiltration and political corruption. All of these were part of Gambino's plan to diversify the Gambino crime family into a huge corporation of rackets that would make the family into an unstoppable force throughout New York. By 1976, the year that Don Carlo died, the Gambino crime family was undoubtedly the biggest crime network in the U.S. Under the shrewd leadership of Carlo Gambino and his loyal, obedient capo's and crewmembers the Gambino crime family wielded most of the power in New York. For twenty years Carlo had cultivated a family that ran so many rackets and it's very influence reached out to many of the judges, politicians and policemen in New York City. The Gambino crime family had ran for nearly twenty years without having any serious problems, however with Don Carlo now on his death bed, Carlo's successor would not be as fortunate.

Carlo Gambino's death on the 26th of may 1976 sparked off a chain of events that would eventually bring the Gambino crime family to its knees. Shortly after Gambino's funeral Big Paulie became boss of the biggest crime family in the U.S, thanks to the last wishes of Don Carlo. The decision to make Paulie boss before his second in command Aniello Dellacroce angered many in the family. After all here was a guy that hadn't really done his bit on the streets, here was a guy that hadn't gone out robbing and stealing and murdering, and here was a guy who had become boss of the crime family on the soul purpose of sticking so close to Carlo Gambino for all those years. Big Paulie decided to keep Dellacroce on as his underboss, and despite dissension within the ranks, Dellacroce accepted the decision, Dellacroce (Mr Neil) was a Cosa Nostra traditionalist, and took the decision with a great deal of humility. Although others in the crime did not. One of Mr. Neil's closest underlings John Gotti was livid at the decision, he hated Paul, for the fact that he didn't earn his position as boss and for the fact that Paul had never, ever been a street guy.

For the early part of his reign Paul Castellano must have enjoyed his time as boss of the Gambino family, although many of the capo's and crewmembers didn't like Paul, none of them would dare make a move on Paulie. He wasn't without his support however, Frank DeCicco was being pruned by Paul as his protégé and Tommy Billoti never left Paulies side Nino Gaggi was another close associate and big Paulie also had his Nephews, Don Carlo's Sons Tommy and Joseph that stayed loyal to Paulie right up to his death. Also during his early years as boss, Paul had a huge mansion built for him at the top of Todt hill, his mansion soon became known as his `white house`, just to give us a bit of insight to the size of ego that Paul must have had. After a while Paul didn't feel the need to mix with the troops, and therefore kept himself away from mixing with his family members. This was another bad move from Castellano, now the troops began to think Paulie was arrogant, as he was no longer there to offer his council and advice to his young inductees, unlike Don Carlo, who was always approachable, helpful and friendly. After all a boss should be there to hear any problems in all walks of life, in this instance big Paulie did himself no favours at all. After a while big Paulie made yet another astonishing move. By the early 1980's big Paulie was earning huge amounts of money through his construction companies, he was also taking huge kickbacks from bid-rigging and union corruption, the more Paul made the more he wanted, and so decided to up the 10 percent he collected every week from his capo's to 15, so now not only was Paul arrogant he was greedy too and so by now his underlings had had enough and it was John Gotti that led the revolt.

By now Paul was also losing the confidence of his closest cohorts, not only was he making bad errors of judgment politically, his family life was now taking a turn for the worse. Paul was having an affair with his Colombian maid Gloria Olarte and because Paul suffered from diabetes he couldn't get sexually aroused. So to try and give Paul an advantage he had a penile implant and shortly afterward his wife Nina, left him. In August 1984 Angelo Ruggierro was arrested under the suspicion of trafficking in heroin. Angelo was Gotti's oldest friend; both men had progressed through the ranks together and was going to look out for him now. The Feds had bugged Angelo's house and telephone and had recorded some very incriminating conversations; they heard Angelo talk in great lengths about the in`s and out's of his drug operations. Paul was furious when he found out for breaking the family's edict against dealing in narcotics. When the tapes were turned over to the lawyers as part of the pre-trial arraignment, big Paulie demanded that he heard them so he could hear for himself if Gotti's crew had been dealing in drugs or not. If so Paul would be left with no choice but to kill the John Gotti and his crew. Knowing this Aneillo Dellacroce stalled for time, by telling Paul it was just part of a big frame-up.

By January 1985 Paul was facing serious legal troubles, he learnt that the FBI had done a wonderful job of bugging his mansion and recording some of his most incriminating conversations, particularly in the bid-rigging and construction rackets. The Feds also listened to Paul criticizing many of the other bosses, although Paul was unaware at the time but he was digging a huge grave for the entire New York Mafia. Big Paulie was indicted in what became to be known as the Commission case, where upon every boss of the New York's 5 family's were indicted with Paul. With Aneillo Dellacroce on his deathbed, John Gotti and his crew were running out of excuses as regards to the FBI tapes. Paul was coming down stronger and stronger for the tapes and John Gotti began to believe his only way out would be to kill Paul, but Dellacroce wouldn't hear of it. But on the 3rd of December 1985 Dellacroce died of a brain tumour, and so there would be no one to stop John Gotti to go ahead with his plan. Gotti's plan consisted of 5 men including himself, Sammy Gravano, Frank DeCicco, Armand Dellacroce (Mr Neils son), and Robert "Deebee" Dibonardo. All these men were prominent men in the Gambino family and all would make up the 5 parts that became to be known as the fist. Paul further angered the members of the fist by not turning up to Dellacroce's wake, another alarming lapse in Mafia protocol, and with this action John Gotti used it to his own leverage, as he would nail the Castellano coffin shut once and for all.

As Paul Castellano made his way to his favourite restaurant at Sparks Steak house on East Forty Sixth Street, midtown Manhattan, the Fist led by John Gotti was in it's final phase. Paul thought he was going to meet Armand Dellacroce in order to offer his condolences for the death of his father, but just as Tommy Billoti pulled up to the curb outside Spark’s 5 men rushed to the car and pumped several bullets into both Tommy Billoti and Big Paulie Castellano, and then dispersed into every direction. John Gotti watched across the street with Sammy Gravano. It was December the 16th, a date now etched into underworld history. An event that will be talked about for years and years to come, as one of the most sensational gangland murder's had just taken place. Shortly after Paul's murder John Gotti was unanimously voted in as the new boss of the Gambino crime family.

Gotti and the rest of the members of the fist brought an end to nine years of Paul's leadership. Although Paul was a superb businessman he wasn't a natural Cosa Nostra boss unlike his cousin Carlo. A Cosa Nostra boss would have been well aware of ambitious capo's such as Gotti, many boss's would have had Gotti executed, in order to eliminate any threat to his authority. Paul just didn't see it coming but many in his position would have. Castellano's execution in the manner in which it was carried out was a slap, not just to him, but to everything he ever stood for, and for the Gambino crime family a new chapter was already under way.

CASTELLANO DEATH CERTIFICATE

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