How close were Albert Anastasia and Frank Scalise???

Many have contradictory reasons why Frank (Scalise) was murdered…..

Some say Scalise was selling membership to becoming “made”

….. others say that Scalise was too old school for Anastasia….

Some say Scalise was used to keep Tommy Lucchese at bay….

There was also a dispute with Joe Profaci and Scalise at some point….

anyways; What’s everyone opinion…. We also got to remember Scalise was powerful as underboss and had at least 40+ men under him…

Bump;

No one responded.

I also have another question, meaning how many times did Scalise changed positions? I think I remember he was once upped and then stepped down, or was it the other way around?

Anastasia had Scalice whacked so how close could they have been, just sayin...
Scalice was made a boss 1930-31 by Maranzano after Castellammarese then went to underboss then consligliere until Jimmy Squillante whacked him at the fruit stand in the Bronx. Anastasia came up from Masseria and Scalise from D'Aquila. Scalise was also related to Dominick Montiglio and Nino Gaggi who avenged Scalice by murdering Squillante and dumping his body in a tenement furnace.

Here's what Valachi said regarding Scalice's murder

I read a while back that once Frank Scalice got murdered; Albert Anastasia was vulnerable…. And only had Frank Costello as a ally…

Once Scalice got whacked; Anastasia lost a lot of support in the family… That paved the way for Carlo Gambino…

Gambino/Genovese and Lucchese wanted Anastasia gone….

Joe Profaci and Joe Bonnano stayed neutral …

There's probably some info out there somewhere about their personal relationship but it brings up an interesting dynamic in the Gambino family I would like to better understand. You have the Calabrian / Mainland faction that was based out of Red Hook area in Brooklyn who took power in the family after murdering the Mangano brothers who were Sicilians from Palermo. Scalise also being a Sicilian from Palermo was likely, though not definitely to my knowledge, more aligned with that faction of the family. I'm not sure if Gambino was more motivated by Scalise or Mangano (I would think Mangano murder) but ultimately the Sicilians made their move and took power back. Anastasia was pretty ruthless and I read Valachi say a massive gambler so he was probably pushing to get money in to himself too. Similarly Castellano also a Sicilian murdered by non-Sicilian members of the family (Gravano is Sicilian descent but not a long term family-lineage member). The Sicilians have since re-gained control of the family albeit there was no real revenge for the Castellano murder on their part I don't believe..

It's an interesting dynamic in that family that continues to today

This is the best theory I've come across, OC Shortz is usually on point with his research.

Gambino was likely not the one who had Anastasia murdered. Alfredo santantonio, a made member in Charles Dongarra's crew furnished a likely story for the murder it goes as follows:

Anastasia plotted to kill Joe Biondo, Joe Riccobono, and Charles Dongarra. Family captain Joseph Franco was made aware of the plot somehow and then told the three men who then plotted against Anastasia. They sent member Stephen Grammauta and associate Joe Cahill to murder Anastasia and they did. The murder was brought up at Apalachin, but they were
"acquitted" citing self defense as their reasoning. Jerry Capeci reported the shooter being Grammauta and Arnold Wittenburg. Grammauta is also confirmed to have been a shooter by Gambino captain Michael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo. Stefano Magaddino also sheds some light on the matter saying that Gambino was appointed by the commission because he was consigliere, not because he just made some powerplay and killed a boss.

either way though, Biondo, Riccobono, and Dongarra were Sicilian

Interesting. Yea, easy for me to say Gambino orchestrated it based on him becoming boss on the back of this but that Sicilian / Palermo section of the family I find interesting how it all breaks down. Obviously nothing is ever black and white e.g. DiLeonardo being a Sicilian and becoming very close with the Gotti's as he regularly speaks about. It sounds like ultimately there were many reasons for Anastasia to be killed and he had many enemies inside and outside the family.

Would Gambino have played a role in Tommy Rava's murder too? If so you would think that would make Gambino complicit in some part in the whole dispute and in his taking over of the family. He was a shrewd fucker so if not directly I imagine he was pulling strings one way or another

It was a necessity. During Mangano reign, both would beef on the other every once in awhile. Anastasia put Scalise in that spot cause he needed the extra layer of protection from Genovese and Lucchese. The Sicilian faction of the family did not raise too much of a stink, cause Anastasia said he would harm a member if they came back to NYC, but went back on the deal and had him killed anyway. Scalise was boss then capo, then Anastasia put him in Underboss in the 1950s.

Thanks for this. Cheers