Why did Galante blow up his gates of Costello's grave? What was the statement about?

Galante was crazy. I guess he figured Costello had died before he could get out of prison and have him whacked, the next best thing would to be to desecrate his grave.

It's a good question ??

But what was the beef between them? Can't find anything about that online..

from everything I read,, and there is a thing or two about the incident in "five families" galente had done a long stint in prison, according to the author- galente was a big time drug dealer

and Costello, and Gambino both were against his violent ways,

so consequently galente hated them both, why he did it, I can only surmise that his mind was not functioning normally.

I've read 2 different versions, the first was that it was sign/message to the bosses on the street that the old way of doing things were over, with Costello supposedly being the largest opponent of drug dealing. The second version was that Costello/Gambino/Luciano had something to do with Genovese and Galante going to prison in the late 1950's/early 1960's, I'm not sure if their cases were intertwined but I guess it's plausible, Genovese was convicted in 1959 and Galante in 1961. I wish I had a source, I can't remember where I read it, possibly in the first edition of Carl Sifakis's Mafia Encyclopedia.

Think it was more that Galante blamed Costello for helping to send him away in the drug case back in 59/60. I believe it was connected to the Genovese bust which was allegedly set up by Costello, Gambino, Luciano and Lansky.

I think Galente was collateral damage.

sonnyd.............. of course this is whats said about what happened to vito genevese, the bosses you mentioned set vito up.
the man who testified against,vito, nelson cannelops was slain after in a N.Y. city bar, its probably true, because of vitos drug dealing. and galente could have suffered because of it.
nice post sonny

Weird thing to galante gets out in 1974 phil rusty incharge of the family he keeps galante i think underboss even puts him as acting boss when he gets locked up. The other bosses have to approve this especially in 74. I think when the books were open and galante was incharge of inducting all the new guys in 757677 the power went to his head. Carmine persico was on record saying he liked galante and didnt vote for him to be killed but the other bosses out powerd him.

Maybe it was the feds who blew up his grave trying to start something. He couldnt take credit for blowing it up the otber bosses would look at him like hes stupid.

yes, sounds about right pmac, and lets not forget galente was bringing a lot of heat on the mob, because of his heroin dealing.

Cantellops murder was not mob related, he sexually assaulted a woman and then mysteriously fell on some knives.

http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-scoop-on-the-man-who-brought-down-genovese
http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/get-the-right-man-how-the-fbn

Lets also say this when carlo gambino dies in oct 76 then big paul takes over the 5 bosses of the nyc had to meet. So tony ducks. Dibella. Funzi tieri. And galante had to be there to bless big paul. This is 7677 when they open the books and inducted 100s of guys some that flipped like sammy the bull massino coppa lino ect. Galante making alot of these guys other bosses probaly are not gonna let him unless they approve hes acting boss of that family.

Yes Pmac, the husband of his cousin, where he hid out while on the lam, a man named Fred DeChristopher testified about that:

''An informer testified yesterday that Carmine Persico told him that he had voted against killing Carmine Galante, a Mafia boss who was shot to death in 1979. The informer, Fred DeChristopher, was an insurance salesman married to Mr. Persico's cousin.''

Link to the complete article: http://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/03/nyregi...-testifies.html

Yeah, Galante was bona fide sociopath from everything I've read about the man.

I'm baffled as to why Joe Bananas would pick a nasty sociopath like Galante as his underboss.

@Regoparker:

I thought the same thing myself, in the books of Joe en his son you can really notice them trying their hardest to distance themselves from him, acting like he didn't play a big role at all in the organization. Pretty phony all of it..

Both father and son were quite notorious phonies. Faking your own kidnapping, memoirs/TV interviews/movies full of lies, inflated egos, trying to distance from a sociopath who happened to be your former protege and underboss and a known drug pusher, yeah.

The feds have massino lino coppa and joey damico all guys who flipped that were inducted in 1977 i would think one of them would have had first hand info on costellos tomb getting blown up. The feds would have leaked it. So im leaning to it wasnt his call.

Money would be my guess. That, or internal family politics, maybe Galante had a lot of support within the family?

Smart Bosses, and despite his failings Bonanno was a smart Boss, always had a sociopath or 2 available to keep the troops in line and to keep the other families from taking liberties. Costello had Moretti and then Anastasia and Bonanno was apparently tight with the Mad Hatter. Luciano of course had Genovese, a man who liked to throw guys off tall buildings so he could marry their widow.

I guess Galante was also the ideal man to deal with the wild Canadian drug dealers in Joe B's eyes.

I started a thread a few mnths. ago about this very topic..in Joe's book "A Man of Honor", he not once mentions Galante's name...

yes, quite true, however in many books it states that in the 50s bonanno went to sicily to set up a drug pipeline, galente was a huge heroin dealer.. and I think bonanno got a cut of all galentes heroin dealings, the bonannos are liars when they say.. "we knew nothing of galentes heroin dealings"
he was made in that family, galente was always a source of revenue for joe, and son.

http://www.freedomportal.net/forum/index.php?topic=14143.0

Good article here, mentions the bombing and suspected reason why.

Most true! ...Galante was said 2 have met Bonnano there 4 the meeting in Ita.

Thanks guy's for your answers. Think you put closure on that 1 now. Never known the reason. Costello,as members have pointed out seemed like a nice man who you could probably approach and have a conversation about anything(except the mob) but Galante, Genevose.......no way.