Am curious about your opinions of Castellano both as Gambino Boss, and also as a gangster in general?

Also, quick question but was was Castellano’s actual title before Boss? Street Boss for Carlo? Underboss alongside Neil - I’ve heard it said that both served as Underboss at the same time? Or just a Capo?

Kurins and O'Brien's "Boss of Bosses," leads the reader to believe that Castellano was a good businessman but a poor leader. Gavano said, contemptuously, that he was a "racketeer, not a gangster." His deal with Dellacroce kept peace (temporarily) in his family, but effectively split the family into the white collar and blue collar factions. He appears to have been unable to stop drug trafficking in the blue collar area, which got him into trouble, I guess the ultimate measure of his failure as a boss is that Gotti was able to have him assassinated with the concurrence of most of the people under Castellano.

It's not clear what his actual title was before he became boss, but it helped that he was Gambino's brother in law and cousin, Dellacroce was the official underboss.

I agree he wasn’t a leader in the classical sense. He was a CEO, but a boss has to be equal parts CEO and butcher. Gotti was too much of the opposite extreme. I feel really the only true leader of the Gambinos was Carlo in a sense, that he was able to combine both sides of what makes a successful boss. I mean, before Gambino you have a bunch of glorified murder inc guys. Paul was too much of a businessman, but acceptable and workable pre 1983 or so. Gotti was just a thug in a suit. And anyone since just deals with the bones

As far as the title, there was an FBI report that basically had Paul as being Street Boss in 1967 as Carlo pulled back due to health issues and law enforcement pressures, around the time he bought the Florida house. Any idea if he remained Street Boss in practice into the 70s?

Is it true btw that he was made a Capo under Anastasia, not Carlo?

My understanding is that both were at one time captains, or skippers. But Neil was elevated to underboss by Carlo. Paul (Carlo's blood relative) was elevated to the key position as an "acting boss" for Gambino for years. This was a little known fact to the FBI, but was indeed true.Thats actually why his later elevation to official boss after Carlo's death is not such a surprise as many outsiders felt it was. Paul had essentially served in that position as a "proxy" for years.

I saw in an interview Larry Mazza said " they know who they are gonna make a capo early. The know who could potentially rise the ranks. They are groomed for it. Guys like Gotti, were never supposed to be at the top. Don Carlo probably never thought of him in that way"..... (That was paraphrase. Not exact quote).

I find truth in this statement. He also alluded to "the gangsters" (Gotti, Gaspipe etc) who got to the top by treachery helped bring the mob down. I agree with Mazza. After the Commission Case, Cosa Nostra was still strong (from the standpoint that, although the bosses were gone, it not like they left behind NOTHING to work with. Those guys brought it to the skeleton of an organization it is today.

As for Castellano, he was groomed to be the Boss. He was made a capo under Anastasia (and to quote Michael Franzese "Junior made me and there's no slipping by with Persico) so for me, that's enough of a testament to Paul's gangster credentials. Paul was not soft, I'm sure he wasn't squeamish about a guy getting worked over in the back of a butcher shop. Even in his movie, they show him in a warehouse watching a guy get tortured by Vito Genovese ( I think they took Hollywood liberties and traded Genovese for Anastasia)

I stand by my opinion that Paul was a good choice in 1976. He was a earner. He had very capable guys ( Tommy Bilotti is underrated as a brute in that life, Demeo, the D'Alsessio brothers. etc)

There was nothing wrong with Castellano. The Gotti crew (and later the media) made him out to be weak and a fool. He was anything but a fool. But a few bullets can stop anyone!

https://books.google.com/books?id=VekCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=New+York+Magazine+%22Conversations+with+the+Godfather&source=bl&ots=sB7TxTgx-z&sig=ACfU3U1DDZrkLld5oFulmbstIgREXsCpFw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiXqZ6m3NH2AhXTkIkEHWOvA54Q6AF6BAgZEAM#v=onepage&q=New%20York%20Magazine%20%22Conversations%20with%20the%20Godfather&f=false

This is a good article, with quotes from the tapes. He was smart

I’ve always felt there was a big misconception about Paul. The general description is of him being a businessman who wouldn’t get his hands dirty. Although he wasn’t a rough and tumble street guy he did have a mean streak. He would order your death if you pissed him off even slightly. When you look at his reign you see a lot if big mobsters he had murdered like Demeo, The Eppolitos, Johnny Keys, etc. Also two of his daughters boyfriends. He was obviously a very smart guy and knew the white collar rackets which were very profitable. He also was greedy which contributed to his eventual downfall

I think he was a good boss, his downfall was having a few outsiders in the family. He should have cut them loose. That was his other problem, he was not in tune with the changing times and with what was going on inside his own family among a couple of factions. Gravano was as much his downfall as Gotti. If they had followed his lead and been like him they survive, and Gotti does not die in prison, Gravano likely does not turn rat and give everyone up. Maybe he was great as a boss till the last few years, then he became too isolated.

I agree with you on these points you bring out Jace. He was not a bad boss at all. And by comparison to Gotti, Gravano, and their ilk, it begs the question; who would you have rather served under? A Castellano? Or one of these other guys?

Castellano no doubt. I may have trusted Gotti more in backing me if I were in that life, as he did with Ruggiaro.

I hear what you all are saying! I believe Castellano was a good-boss; Just got careless there once he got rid of Roy DeMeo and had a few issues with Anthony Gaggi.


Got one question though; Who was better? Castellano or Corallo? Both about the same age; Ran their family for years; etc…

Two very different styles in my opinion, yet both were very successful at what they did. IMO Corallo was much more of a street guy, hoodlum, and political fixer and corruptor. You gotta remember too that Corallo didn't have any blood ties that helped him out on his way up the ladder. His guile did it.

Whereas Castellano was born into the life. His father, uncles, cousins, etc., were all mafiosi. Paulie was no dope either but he had a guiding hand to help him. He was always running meat markets and butchers shops and other types of semi-legit businesses as well as various rackets. And with Carlo and Paul as his cousins, his father Frank, and others, became quickly well-placed (yet remained low-key) within the hierarchy of his family. He had buffers in front of him. Even Apalachin didn't real affect him in the end.

Tony Ducks was always way out front with narcotics, extortion, labor union rackets, kickbacks, bribery, etc. He became very notorious. But until Paul's ascension to boss he was really not that well known. (and had not done any real jail time).

There's the big difference I think.

I think Sammy initially liked him and respected him. There was an issue where Paul kept some money that was owed to Sammy and Sammy resented him for that. I think most guys liked amd respected Paul but I think his greed. Gotti disliked Paul because his crew was caught on wiretaps talking about drugs. I dont think Gotti had an issue with him prior to that.

. Also according to Sammy the Frank Piccolo thing really rubbed him the wrong way but that was back in 81. You also bring up an interesting point about Gotti and Castellano’s relationship before the August 1983 drug bust. I dint think there was ever any love loss between them but it wasn’t stasi Ed like it was from 83-85.

@NYMafia; I agree; There’s no comparison between Castellano and Corallo. Two different guys; Same generation though.

What was Castellano’s killer crew” after he had Roy DeMeo whacked? And Gaggi sidelined a bit???

Do you think the Cherry Hill Gambino’s would have been his “killer crew”??!

Gravano also killed for Castellano.

With twenty-some odd crews at its peak, the boss or the Gambino Family, any boss of the Gambino Family, has at his disposal multiple killers in nearly every single crew (some crews more than others). Regardless, literally hundreds of guys are available to "do work" as they say.

The boss usually has a few "go to" crews he favors over others. But essentially he has nearly an entire family "capable" so to speak. Thats what being a "button guy" is all about. Being"available" if/when called upon to defend the borgata.

Especially decades back in the 1930s-through-1990s era, where it was generally a requirement for induction.

I wish there was more info on Tommy Bilotti. I think his presence help Paul, at least on a in person basis (besides the assassination of course). I don't think alot of guys were disrespecting him to his face.

What I don’t get is why Paul didn’t make a move to break Johnny as a Capo before Neil died.

He didn’t clip or even shelve Angie.

By the time early 1985 rolls around, it’s gotta be clear John and Angelo are just stalling. Neil can only make so many excuses

I gotta think Paul looked like weak by not taking care of the “Bergen problem” earlier. You basically had by the end of 1984 a renegade Capo and an Underboss acting as a human shield

. Neil kept Gotti alive literally til his last breath for better or worse . Even as sick as he was Paul didn’t want to start issues with Neil. Plus at the same time the Commission trial came along do the last thing Paul wanted to do was to draw more attention to himself by taking out a big crew

According to what I have read.

The Gambino's were split in two
And on the verge of a Civil war.

That was before Gotti, and the tapes.

Paul did that all to himself.

Gotti, was able to EXPLOIT the situation in the family.

The reason Gotti was able to do what he did was because of the state of the family.

Gotti didnt create the state of affairs.

The people closest to Paul, at the time let that happen.

Decicco, Gravano and a bunch of the old timers.
The rest went along with Gotti's plot.

For as bad as Gotti was the guys closest to him never turned on him.
When they were on the streets anyway.

That was why Chin and Gas Pipe weren't able to kill Gotti, because no one close to him would set him up for that, everyone remained loyal to him.

The reason for that was that he was respected and feared those are attributes of a strong leader.

Even after Gravano, Gotti stayed in power until his death
Guys stayed loyal to him until the end.

Even after he died when Peter, took over,
If it were not for John, Peter would have never even been made let alone the official boss of the family.