does anyone know or can provide any information about any crimes carlo gambino has been arrested for? im sure he has been arrested because he has a couple mugshots i just dont know for what. also does anyone know if he has any convictions for anything? im especially interested in early in his criminal career as well as when he was in italy working for or with vito cascio ferro

I read in some old New York Times article I bought online several years ago (unfortunately I don't have it anymore) that he spent something like 21 or 22 months in prison, if all his prison time from different arrests is put together.

I recall some of his first arrests were in Massachusetts about 1930. I don't remember what the charges were but I believe at least one was for bootlegging or running an illegal still. I don't have it handy but Charlie Carr's book on the New York City police files has Gambino's arrest file. Like Dwalin says, his total prison time never amounted to much, considering all the charges.

Here´s Gambino´s rapsheet. There´s some abbreviations. Since I don´t know what they stand for, you will have to find out somehow. Perhaps you can google them?

11-15-30 Lawrence, Mass. Inquiry. Suspicion Person. Case dismissed.

12-8-30 Brockton, Mass. Larceny (handkerchief and pill game). Warrant issued. [Gambino was a fugitive. in 1934, Gambino was apprehended and delivered to Brockton, Mass.] Case Nolle Prossed. [I beleive this means Gambino never had to stand trial.] Restitution 1,000 US dollars.

10-8-34 Manhattan, NY. Viol IRL (untaxed alcohol). Case dismissed.

6-15-37 Phila. Pa. Viol IRL. 5000 FH [Don´t know what that means]

7-19-37 Brooklyn, NY. Conspiracy to violate IRL. Gov moved for dism, motion granted.

7-21-37 Manhattan, NY. Inquiry.

9-27-37 Phila. Pa. Int Rev (spirit, poss of unreg still). 3,000 US dollars bond for Crt. Found guilty on 5-23-39, sentenced to 22 months in prison (Lewisburg, Pa.) [The sentence was confirmed on 7-16-42 but Gambino only served 30 days before being discharged, it looks like]

12-26-40 Alien Registration.

6-19-53 Brought to some kind of a hearing where Gambino faced being deported. Not given deportation. FP [Don´t know what that means]

8-7-58 Contempt of court (in the aftermath of being arrested in Apalachin, NY.) Ordered to be deported to Italy. [But his lawyers successfully argued that Gambino had a heart disease so the deportation order was never completed.]

1970- Gambino and some other men were arrested on Conspiracy and Robbery charges. I don´t know the outcome, but most likely Gambino was never brought to trial. (The others were.)

Carlo Gambino was, although never arrested for it, suspected of smuggling narcotics from Italy to the US. He was also suspected by immigration authorities to be involved in smuggling aliens into the US through Philadelphia.

I'm not positive but i think that 1970 robbery/conspiracy charge against Gambino was still pending when he died. Anyone know for sure?

Also there seems to be a debate if Gambino did time on one of those 1937 charges. Some say he was locked up and others claim he was released on appeal. Again does anyone know for certain if Gambino was locked up in 1937 and if he was for how long?

Hairy i see in your post you list that Gambino did 30 days....is that definitely the amount of time he did? I've read that some people say 22 months for some reason and others said just a couple days before he was released....any idea why the conflict over this? I would think it would all be in his FBI file so maybe i'll try to sort through them when i have the time and see if it says anything on it.

Something I found on the robbery case:
In its nearly 20-year investigation into Carlo Gambino the FBI was only able to build a single case against the mob boss, and on March 23, 1970 arrested the so-called "boss of bosses" for his alleged role in conspiring to rob $6 million from an armored truck. Of course, the case never was prosecuted. Manhattan federal judge Marvin Frankel took sympathy upon the aging gangster, and indefinitely stayed the case.

Carlo Gambino had been conveniently saved from justice by his bad heart on numerous occasions. The mob boss had been a target for deportation by the INS since the 1957 Apalachin Meeting, and his ticker always flared up right before he was due to appear before immigration hearings or court proceedings on the matter. On May 13, 1969 an FBI agent approached Gambino at a lower Manhattan eatery on Walker Street in the city's then textile manufacturing district as the mob boss was having breakfast -- a grapefruit, English Muffin and coffee -- and while counting out the 30 pills he had to take daily for his degenerate heart repeatedly said "I'm a sick, sick, very sick man."

The old coot finally died at the age of 74 on October 15, 1976 at his Long Island home.

As far as whether he actually served any of the 22 months he was sentenced to back in the 30's ,I'm in the same boat as you. For every article that says he went to jail,another article says he didn't.Hopefully someone can put this to bed once and for all.

Know doubt, he had the greatest run of any LCN boss, whether it be 22 month or 4 days.

I'm very interested in learning more about his time spent in Mass and how he got to NY...

Is there any comprehensive book written on his life..??

I think the case was never bought to trial due to his poor health. I've checked if he was incarcerated in 1937 and the results differ. But the longevity of his incarceration is said to have been 22 months.

Ok so he was sentenced to 22 months, thats probably why some people claim he actually served 22 months. I think Hairy might be correct about 30 days but i'm still going to see if his FBI file mentions anything on it.

Thanks Lou.

No doubt Gambino had a very successful career in his chosen occupation. A very shrewd and smart guy.

"12-8-30 Brockton, Mass. Larceny (handkerchief and pill game)"

What the hell is a "pill game"??

I bet it's like the pea and the walnut shell game

Only a guess,but it might be similar to the Bolita game in which numbered balls are put into a sack which is tied shut. The sack is tossed to another person,and when he grabs it,he holds on to one of the balls. The sack is opened,the balls are dumped out,and whichever ball the person is still holding is the winning number.Maybe one version was played with a hanky and numbered pills like the ones used in pool games.

I´m in the dark about this too. I would think that after the appeal, his sentence was reversed from 22 months to 30 days. Could be that the violation of IRL charges were dropped and he received only 30 days on conspiracy charges.

In his rapsheet it says that USP, Lewisburg, Pa was contributors of fingerprints. So he was def locked up there.