TD,
There was an early member of what later became the Gambino Family by the name of Antonio (Big Tony) Vanella, a notorious gunman and mafioso. I'm wondering if there is any connection between the two of them. I believe Tony came from the Downtown Manhattan area.
I personally don't have a clue about it. If the guys I previously mentioned were under the D'Aquila regime (future Gambino family) during that same time period when Robert Vanella allegedly returned back to NY, then there might be some connection. I don't believe in coincidence especially when we are talking about the Mob. You are way better than me in finding blood connections between these fellas, since I'm mostly about the "street stuff" lol