Was it done by Vincent Gigante trying to take out Frank Costello with only 1 bullet and missed him? He even called out his name in advance.

You know I was thinking that exact one myself before I opened this thread. But maybe it isn't the worst mob hit blunder because Gigante never had any real repercussions from the incident.

I can't think of any of the top of my head but I bet there's been a few near misses that's resulted in the would be assassing dead.

Turi, the same thing happened to me as I was opening this thread. Frank Costello/Gigante came right into my head.

There was another big mob hit blunder involving the Gallos and The Columbos. I don't remember all the details but to make a long story short, The Gallos were laying to take out several Columbo guys. They got a call that these guys were in a restaurant in Manhatten sitting by the bar. The Gallos sent some guys there who walked in and opened fire on these supposed Columbo men. Turns out that they kiled the wrong guys. These guys were regular business men.

That is the major reason that The Gallo crew became known as The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight. Which eventually became a book and then a comedy movie.


Don Cardi

i think the worst mafia blunder is Joe Valachi killing the wrong guy in prison and getting a life sentence added on to his time and turn stool pigeon because of it.....If you rad into his story and see why he became the most well known rat it's a crazy and somewhat funny story



Joe Batters

The worst mob blunder was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929. Machine Gun Jack McGurn, Capone's chief triggerman, dreamed it up to avenge his own near-fatal shooting by Pete and Frank Gusenberg, who were Bugs Moran's top gunsels. Capone approved and financed it because he thought the massacre would get rid of Moran, too. As it turned out, Moran, seeing a "police car" showing up at his garage, didn't enter. He escaped the massacre. Although Capone had an airtight alibi (he was in Miami meeting with the DA), everyone knew he was behind it. The St. Valentine's Day Massacre set off a wave of revulsion against Mob violence that eventually led to a crackdown on The Outfit, and Capone's eventual demise.

It's not always the high-profile hits that are the most damaging. In 1983, Ken Eto was shot in the head three times by two outfit guys assigned to silence him because his padrone suspected that he was ready to roll-over for the Feds.

The bullets misfired and Eto survived three slugs to the head. His incompetent shooters, one of whom was a sheriff's deputy on the take, weren't as fortunate. John Gatusso and Jay Campise were found in the trunk of a car later that year. If Eto wasn't ready for bed before the hit, he was certainly in his pajamas afterwards. After surviving the shooting, Eto talked non-stop to the Feds about his gambling operation and its relationship to organized crime in Chicago. He told of payoffs to to vice cops for tips on gambling raids. He told authorities he "kicked up" to Rocco Infelise, the northside boss. He named the enforcers who muscled the deadbeats, and those enforcers were (surprise) officials in a Laborers Union local.

The Presidents Commission on Organized Crime (appointed by Ronald Reagan in the early 80's) released a report that included this summary of Eto's testimony:

"The president of Local 1 is Vincent Solano, a territorial boss of the LCN Outfit on the north side of Chicago. Ken Eto, an LCN associate, who knew Solano for many years and reported to him for almost a decade, described Solano's operation and the territory he controls in testimony before the Commission.

"According to Eto, Solano controlled all forms of illegal gambling, including poker, bolita, ziganetta, horse bookmaking and sports bookmaking in his area. Solano also ran extortion rackets against bars, restaurants, topless clubs, pornographic bookstores, and massage parlors, and supplied these businesses with vending machines, such as cigarette and jukeboxes. Solano used the Local's headquarters as a contact point for his criminal organization. Eto told of how Solano confirmed meetings at prearranged locations near the union hall and met with members of his crew to receive payoffs, give directions, and, in the words of Eto, receive "respect" from those who worked for him. Eto personally paid Solano a share of the proceeds of his illegal gambling operations. At Solano's direction Eto made regular payments to other LCN members.ll

"Solano apparently suspected that Eto might become a government informant, and he ordered him killed. On February 10, 1983, John Gattuso and Jasper Campise, members of Solano's group, shot Eto three times in the back of the head while the three were allegedly on their way to meet Solano for dinner. Miraculously, Eto lived, and subsequently became an FBI informant.l2 On July 14, 1983, the mutilated and strangled bodies of Campise and Gattuso were found in the trunk of a car in Naperville, Illinois. Without the testimony of Campise and Gattuso there is little chance that corroborative evidence can be found to convict Solano of Eto's attempted murder. Solano remains president of Local 1."

That was just the tip of the iceberg. While his testimony may not have directly lead to anyone's conviction, it was the "open window" that organized crime investigators needed to identify key players in Chicago and likely helped them mount successful prosecutions in the late 80's and early 90's.

In one of organized crime's great ironies, just two blocks from the location where Eto was shot is a sporting goods store that sells guns and ammo. Perhaps a fresh box of ammunition would be a good idea if you're a sheriff's deputy, you've NEVER fired your gun in 20 years of service and you're working with the original box of ammunition.

tony b.

I was just going to mention this one.

I remember reading in the book Casino which the movie is based on, they talked to the guy who Frank Vincent's character is based on. He recalled a time when he got a tip from a friend that if you sawed your bullets in half or something, they would be quieter when you shot.

So he tried it, went to this guys house to kill him. Once the guy turned his back, he pulls out his gun and starts shooting him. Turns out cutting the bullets had somehow made them less effective, didnt penetrate or something, so the victim got shot like 5 times at close range and didnt even fall over. The guy turned around and said something to the effect of "What the hell are you doing?" Frank then had to chase the guy around the house shooting him. I dont recall how the story ended, but I remember that basic setup.

Speaking of CASINO, what about the car bomb where Rosenthal escaped only because his Cadillac had a lead plate under his seat(or was it engine?) and really, he escaped a fire-blazing cooking death by pure luck?

That hit was "Hollywoodized". Actually, what saved Rosenthal was the way he started his car. Most Chicago mobsters started their car with the door open, there may actually be a plate under the seat, but the escape route of the blast is what saved his life. (*Casino the book, and Bill Roemer depict this event happening this way)