Gambino had been a subject for the US immigration office for a long time. They found out that he had entered US illegally but no action was taken against him other than a couple of served subpoenas. Doctors testified that Gambino had a very bad heart and to put him throgh hearings and trials would be hazardous to his health. No wonder why Gambino was so extremely secretive and cautious. He apparantly did not like the idea of being deported back to Italy.
Two or three years before he was arrested (in 1970 for conspiracy if memory serves me right), he temporarily severed himself from Family business and allowed Paul Castellano to take the reins of the Family.
Gambino enjoyed a genuine reverence from his underlings. But he was also feared. He was no stranger to ordering killings. A true "lion and a fox".
Yeah, GAmbino was shrewd and smart like a fox. But he could, of course, be violent when necessary. But it's kind of comical to look at Gambino, with his skinny, stooped frame, scrawny appearance, and mild-mannered look and think "Big, Bad Mob Boss."
